Reach out for me
by emrldapplejuice
Summary: Andromeda is dealing with the aftermath of the second wizarding war and Hermione is searching for her place in a society marked by war. Together they process the past, find comfort within each other and make plans for their future. Eventual f/f pairing. The focus lies on Andromeda.
1. Persuasion

**A/N**

Dear readers, this is my second story about my two favourite characters Andromeda and Hermione. It will be focussed mainly on Andromeda, her thoughts, her present and her past. It will include flashbacks (the first in chapter three) that will be written in italic.

Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own the characters. They belong to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling.

* * *

"You should join me today," Harry called whilst getting dressed. He was frantically searching for his favourite pants in the huge wooden closet.

His clothes were scattered everywhere when Hermione entered the bedroom. Sighing she picked wrinkly t-shirts and pants up and threw them on the bed.

"Are you looking for those?" she asked with an amused tone as she picked up a pair of ragged jeans and dangled them in front of his face. He grabbed them smiling and continued: "She would really appreciate your company, Mione."

"So you two have been talking about me," she stated, ignoring her friend's request.

"If you must know, I may have accidentally told her that you are feeling a bit lonely these days."

She huffed and slumped down on the bed. This is exactly what she had been trying to avoid. Two days prior Hermione had told Harry that she felt a bit alone sometimes with just him and Ginny around. Although she enjoyed living with the couple, it just wasn't enough for her. They both didn't share most of her interests which is why she spent most of her nights reading alone in her room. Sure, the trio went out for drinks and met their Hogwarts friends but she wished for more than that. She needed someone to have heated discussions with, someone who challenged her.

She felt divided. On one hand, she really didn't want to bother the older witch with her seemingly insignificant problems, the woman had already too much on her plate. On the other hand, she knew from Harry that Andromeda was very well read and kind hearted and lonely these days. Plus, the witch's past intrigued Hermione and something had drawn her towards her ever since Remus' and Tonks' funeral. The way she had stood at their graves was still sending a shiver down her spine.

"You overthink this." He lay down next to her. "Come with me, play with Teddy, talk to her casually. You don't need to have an in-depth conversation about your favourite book and your awkward social life on your first meeting. What's holding you back?"

She threw a pillow at him and ignored his question, not sure, how she should even answer it. He was right, though, she should visit them. At least they finally stopped trying to set her up with Ron again. Still a bit reluctantly, she agreed to accompany him. "But let me freshen up first." He rolled his eyes at her.

The apparition point Harry chose was a two-minute walk from the small house away. It was situated just outside of London in the middle of a muggle neighbourhood. Hermione had only faint memories of the house, as she only spent a short time there when it served as a safe house for the Order. She remembered that the house was cosy and neat, displaying a variety of muggle and magical objects. The only things she memorised about Andromeda were that the older woman was a warm, impeccably dressed and calmer version of her older sister. She also remembered her to be a bit distant and slightly haughty but in no way arrogant. It was probably her regal upbringing.

When they reached the entrance to the small garden, Harry addressed her with a warning: "We've heavily warded the house and its surroundings. Let me go first to make sure they won't hurt you." He walked through the small wooden gate, cast a spell and then waved for her to join him.

The garden was well looked after. Hermione spotted various vegetables sprouting in neat patches and yellow flowers were surrounding the gravel walk up to the house. Hermione was sure they were daffodils, or in latin; narcissuses. The meaning behind it made her smile.

Harry rang the doorbell. No answer. He rang it a second time, a worried look forming on his face. "Andie, are you home?" he called into the house.

They finally heard a faint 'Coming!' from inside the house. When Andromeda opened, the older witch's cheeks were red and she was breathing heavily. Her chocolate brown curls hung dishevelled around her shoulders and down her back. She gently brushed them back against her ears.

Hermione looked at her in disbelief. That was certainly not how she remembered Tonks' mother. Andromeda was not only wearing a t-shirt, no, she was wearing a shabby 'Weird Sisters' t-shirt that screamed "Tonks". The black humour was blatant and Hermione had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle her laugh. Andromeda followed the young woman's gaze and chuckled.

"I take it you like my shirt?" she asked amused and tugged at her shirt, looking at it. She then stepped away from the door and gestured for her guests to enter. She was pleasantly surprised to see Hermione Granger on her doorstep. Harry had told her he'd try to persuade her to come by, he hadn't had much hope, though.

"I'm sorry," she said, unable to keep the exhaustion off her voice. "I didn't hear the doorbell. Teddy is teething; the poor boy has been raging all night and all morning long."

Just as she had finished talking, they heard his desperate cries echoing down the hall. Andromeda took a deep breath and rolled her eyes.

"Here we go again. Please take a seat in the living room, Harry you know the way. I'll join you in a moment."

She turned on the spot and Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief again as the older witch jogged towards the staircase. Andromeda was wearing tight black jeans, her ebony wand securely stored in one of the back pockets.

Harry grabbed her arm. "Stop staring, Hermione!" he exclaimed and dragged her by her arm through the hall towards the sitting room.


	2. Introduction

Once inside the living room Hermione marvelled at how bright and wide it was. One wall was completely plastered with rather big black and white muggle photographs of the Tonks family. All of them framed in pitch-black frames. One was of Tonks sitting on a small chair, seemingly annoyed by the fact that she had to sit still for the photographer. In the right corner of the wall was a smaller one with what must have been Andromeda in it. She was standing in a cornfield, her long curly hair falling down her back just below the waist. Her face wasn't visible as she was walking away from the photographer, her hand running through the wheat spikes. Hermione's heart clenched when she spotted a picture of a smiling Ted carrying Andromeda in his arms, her face snuggled in his shoulder.

On the opposite wall stood a vast bookcase, spilling over with both muggle and magical literature. Hermione was tracing the alphabetically sorted paperbacks and hardcovers with her fingers. When Andromeda entered through the small passage that opened towards the kitchen, the young witch quickly withdrew her hand and sat down next to Harry.

Andromeda noticed the small blush on the younger woman's cheeks as she had been caught sneaking around and gave her a light smile. She was carrying Teddy in her right arm and carried the tea tray in her free hand. She almost reached the small, black living room table when Teddy started crying. His screech startled her so much that she lost balance and let go of the tray. The white china crashed down, shattering on the table and the floor.

"Oh shit," she exclaimed and her cheeks reddened.

Andromeda pitied herself. She hadn't slept for a solid two nights, neither had Teddy. His discomfort kept them both awake and her on edge. And now, the damned china broke. Not that she particularly liked it. It was a hideous wedding gift from Ted's parents and Nymphadora had already shattered half of it anyway. No, she just was too exhausted to deal with sharp pieces of china and a tea stained carpet.

At least Teddy had stopped crying and started playing with her hair as she was one-handedly picking up the last reminders of her cups and saucers.

"Why don't you sit down, Mrs Tonks, let me clean this up," Hermione offered and knelt down beside her. She gently took the fragments from Andromeda's shaking hand and stilled her fingers.

"Let me take the little boy, Andie." Harry leant down and carefully freed her hair from the toddler's vice grip.

She sat down on her mint-green couch and rested her face in her hands for a while, she felt the pitiful glances of her guests. She knew she looked terrible today and nothing like her usual self. She had lost weight again, hence her peculiar choice of clothes. She had nicked them from her daughter's closet in the morning because her robes didn't fit neatly anymore and she hated unfitting clothes. The thought of Nymphadora gave her wrenches; she tried hard to school her features.

Hermione was watching her intently. "A penny for your thoughts?" The young woman sat down beside her and Andromeda knew she had failed to keep her emotions from showing.

"I was just thinking about Nymphadora and how many times I told her not to wear such shabby clothes." She tugged at her shirt frowning. "And now I sit here wearing those exact clothes and I am even enjoying how comfy they are. The irony of it all is almost painful. I've become a hypocrite."

Hermione looked at her sympathetically. It took her a while to find the correct words. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure she would mock you about those clothes but she certainly wouldn't be mad." The young woman locked eyes with her for a few seconds before she lost her nerve and knelt down again to pick up the rest of the tiny white fragments. Hermione's mind raced, wondering whether she was able to give the older woman some comfort.

Andromeda gaped at her for a moment, wondering how good friends she and her daughter had been. A single tear slid down Andromeda's face. She quickly brushed it away before anyone could notice. She cast a cleaning spell to get rid of the tea stains forming on her white carpet. "That damned colour never did me any good," she said in an exasperated tone as the stains were slowly fading.

When the carpet was spotless again, Andromeda stretched out her hand towards the young woman to help her up. "Thank you, Ms Granger," she said, a small smile gracing her lips. She made her way towards the kitchen to get new tea. Her long, chocolate coloured hair was swaying gently as she walked. Hermione was mesmerised by her sheer presence.

"You are staring again, Mione," Harry reprimanded her with a grin on his face as he returned from Teddy's room. Hermione's cheeks turned scarlet once more.

Harry followed Andromeda into the kitchen to help her with the tea, leaving Hermione on her own. Andromeda smiled at him, as he filled the kettle with water and made it boil. She roamed her cupboards to take out fresh cups, as she didn't bother to repair the just shattered ones. One cup was sporting a flower-pattern. The next one was a bland grey one. The last one she grabbed was one Nymphadora had painted for her as a mother's day gift in muggle pre-school. She hadn't used it in a while and silently hoped that she wouldn't shatter this one too. She held it towards Harry, who poured the boiling water over her bag of Earl Grey. He selected peppermint for Hermione and himself.

"I'm glad you brought her here," she said as they walked towards the living room and squeezed his arm gently.

Meanwhile in the living room, Hermione never meant to intrude but felt uncomfortable just sitting on the sofa, waiting for the two to return. The bookcase intrigued her and she decided to take a closer look. It really was huge, filling up the whole wall. She found a few of her personal favourites in it. She carefully fished her all-time favourite from the shelf. With great pleasure, she realised that it must have been read many times. Its yellowing pages were battered and crumpled at the edges and the cover was showing cracks and lines. When she opened it, she saw a short, handwritten dedication: 'It shall forever remind you of me' it simply said and it made Hermione wonder who wrote it. She closed the book, brushed lovingly over its cover and put it back on the shelf.

"There you go," Andromeda spoke when she returned. She carefully set the tray down on the table. "This time without spilling it," she added mocking herself.

"Would you like some cookies with that?" She looked at Hermione, who eagerly nodded. She wandlessly summoned a platter with shortbread and put it next to the tea. The younger woman immediately reached for one and carefully ate it.

Andromeda made herself comfortable on the lemon-coloured armchair that stood opposite the couch. "I'm glad Teddy is finally sleeping. How did you manage that, Harry?" Harry's eyes looked up from the cookie platter. He carefully put the biscuit on his saucer before answering her.

"I just told him the story of how I caught my first snitch."

Hermione had to laugh a little too hard at this. She had heard the story hundred times and she still thought it was not that special. "That's an awfully boring story, that's why he fell asleep," she joked and earned a fierce glare and a small slap on her arm from Harry.

Andromeda had to chuckle at their carefree banter but her thoughts soon wandered back to Teddy. "I love this boy to bits but the last few days really brought me low. Sleep deprivation does not do me well."

Hermione studied the older woman's face. She hid it quite well, but it was still visible that she was incredibly tired. Dark circles were visible under her grey eyes, letting them gleam. The distant, regal attitude she displayed when they first met, was not present today.

"We could watch him for a few days, Mrs Tonks," Hermione offered a bit afraid to overstep her boundaries. After all, the woman barely knew her.

"That's a brilliant idea, Hermione!" Harry chimed in smiling brightly at her suggestion. "This way you can sleep peacefully and do something fun and we can enjoy some quality time with him!"

Andromeda hesitated, considering the offer. Those two were still teenagers, with no experience as babysitters and Teddy was extremely difficult these days. Sleep, though, sounded wonderful.

Hermione sensed her hesitation. "Don't you worry, Mrs Tonks." She tried to reassure her. "I'm sure we can handle him for two days."

Andromeda firmly shook her head. "I do trust you. But it really is exhausting these days and you have your training and work to attend. You can gladly take him once he's done teething." She hoped that she made her point clear but looking at her young guests' faces, she wasn't so sure.

"You need to sleep, Andie." Harry got up and nearly ran towards the door. "I'm going to pack his bag right now. Ginny and I will watch him tonight," he said with a finality and disappeared upstairs.

Andromeda didn't call him back. She was in no mood to fight against his stubbornness. She sighed and was glad to see Hermione giving her a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Tonks. He is awfully hard-headed." Hermione fidgeted with her hands in her lap and avoided the elder witch's piercing glance.

Andromeda wondered how it was possible for such a brave Gryffindor to be so nervous in her presence. "Please, call me Andromeda," she said firmly. She couldn't stand hearing her last name anymore. It still brought up painful memories of her late husband and daughter.

"Call me Hermione, then," the girl whispered and gave her a small smile. She finally looked at her and Andromeda admired her beautiful honey-brown coloured eyes.

"He really is awfully stubborn," Andromeda said. "Probably not his best trait. But honestly, I am looking forward to a good night's sleep." She smiled and reached for her cup, taking another sip. She leant back in her chair. "I'm glad I finally get to properly meet you. The last time you were here was hardly the right time for cookies and light conversation. I've heard quite a lot about you, though."

"From Ton- Nymphadora, I presume."

"Exactly, she was quite fond of you and your brilliant ideas and how you were able to control the boys." The older woman smiled fondly at the young witch who was blushing at the compliment from her late friend.

"I loved your daughter very much, Andromeda. I'd like to be a part of Teddy's life." Hermione avoided Andromeda's gaze, afraid that her request came two years too late. "That is if you let me of course," she quickly added.

Andromeda was slightly overwhelmed and couldn't react immediately. Her hesitation made Hermione lose her nerve, she swiftly got up from the sofa. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to intrude."

"Breathe, Hermione, everything is fine." Andromeda stood too and slightly touched the younger woman's shoulder. "I'd love for you to be part of his life. He needs all the love he can get," she said with a certainty in her voice.

Hermione seemingly relaxed and sat down again. Andromeda wondered why her presence made the young woman feel so anxious.

"So, everything is packed and we are ready to go."

Both heads turned towards Harry who was carrying the brightly coloured baby bag in one hand and a well-dressed Teddy in his free arm.

"The baby suits you, Harry," Andromeda said cheerfully. She stroked Teddy's bright blue hair. "Be good, my sweet boy," she whispered into the baby's hair and softly kissed his forehead, running her fingertip softly over his rosy cheek.

"If it gets too much do not hesitate to floo me," she called after Harry as he vanished into the green flames.

Hermione stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, dumbfounded by Harry's sudden exit. She didn't want to overstay her welcome, so she made her way towards the floo.

"You don't need to leave just because he did. Why don't you stay for dinner? I would appreciate the company."

Hermione smiled gladly. "I'd like that a lot, thank you."

Andromeda smiled fondly at the younger witch and brushed a strand of curls out of her face.


	3. Scars

Andromeda motioned for Hermione to take a seat at the long, dark wooden table in the middle of the small kitchen.

Her brow furrowed as she looked into the nearly empty fridge and she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten a full meal. The only calories that kept her going these days came from the little sugar and cream in her morning tea, the small nips she took from Teddy's formula to test its temperature and some cookies. She took some eggs and bacon out and placed them next to the stove before turning around to face Hermione. "I hope you like breakfast for dinner," she said with an apologetic tone in her voice.

Hermione chuckled. "I do, in fact. Can I help you?"

Andromeda shook her head and heated up the stove. She decided to cook the muggle way and began to crack the eggs into the pan.

Hermione was surprised by her actions. She hadn't seen a witch (or wizard) cook without magic. Considering Andromeda's pureblood upbringing, she was even more surprised. "It's refreshing to see a witch cook with her actual hands," she said and smiled at the older woman.

A small smile flickered across Andromeda's face when she remembered her first attempts at cooking. She turned around to look at the younger witch. "My mother would curse me. Ted taught me fairly well and I came to appreciate the taste of it."

"I like it better too." Hermione smiled and added with a soft voice: "The flavours are much more pronounced."

Andromeda agreed with a nod, a full smile spreading across her face. She placed four tranches of bacon in the pan. Soon the smell of fried bacon and eggs filled the room. It strongly reminded her strongly of Ted as it had been his favourite food. She always made it for dinner on his birthday. She felt the blood drain from her face. With both hands, she clung to the sink, desperately trying to compose herself. She swallowed the tears that threatened to fall.

Hermione noticed how Andromeda turned around and tensed up. At first, she didn't dare to disturb the silence, but when the food started to burn, Hermione got up from the table. She wordlessly took the pans off the stove and placed them on the lime green coasters that Andromeda had already placed on the table. She summoned two plates and cutlery to set the table. Carefully, she removed the food from the pans and put it on the plates, always keeping an eye on the other witch. She was glad when Andromeda straightened up again. When she finally looked at her, Hermione saw her watery eyes, a stray tear running down her cheek. Hermione opened her mouth to speak but chose to stay silent. Andromeda wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sat down.

"Would you like a glass of water with your meal?" Hermione asked softly and stood beside the older witch, placing a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

Andromeda nodded and thanked her. She was glad that the younger woman didn't enquire on her well-being. They started their meal in silence. She shoved the food around on her plate and carefully took another bite of egg. "I'm sorry," she said after a while. "That smell reminded me of Ted and it derailed me for a moment."

Hermione looked at her sad expression for a moment and finally swallowed the lump in her throat. "Would you like to talk about him?" she asked carefully.

Andromeda put her fork down, taken aback by the amount of understanding coming from a woman she barely knew. "No, it's fine." She managed a small smile and gently touched the younger woman's hand. She was glad when Hermione returned the gesture and didn't pull her hand away.

They finished their meal in a comfortable silence. Andromeda levitated the cutlery, plates and pans towards the sink and quickly cast a cleaning spell.

"I love to cook the muggle way but magic is necessary for the dishes," she said with a smirk. "Do you care for some wine? I certainly need a glass."

"Just a little for me, I'm not too fond of the taste," Hermione said shyly.

Andromeda took two large wine glasses from the wooden cabinet situated above the stove. She carefully placed them on the counter. The wine cooler was placed beneath the counter top after searching through it for a moment she settled on a bottle of red wine, unable to tell whether she would like its content or not. Choosing the right wine had always been Ted's business. She filled her glass to the brink and added some to Hermione's. She took her glass and the bottle and led Hermione to the living room.

Andromeda sat down on the mint-green couch and Hermione settled down next to her.

Andromeda remembered what Harry told her about Hermione. "Harry told me you're unhappy with your job," she asked and her question seemed to startle the young woman.

She sighed loudly before answering the question. "I would enjoy the work itself and I always wanted to work for the Ministry. Lately, though, I came across all the prejudice, all the injustice that is still present. I don't even know what's bothering me more, that it's still legal to arrange marriages-" Andromeda laughed bitterly at this "- or that Muggleborns are still treated like shit by some people." Her voice was completely exasperated by now. "I don't want to work in such a place anymore. How is it possible that even two wars didn't change our society for the better?" Her cheeks were slightly reddened from her fury. She took a sip of wine and finally looked up at Andromeda.

Andromeda studied her face for a moment. "Did you find something that suits your interests better?" she asked softly to address the subject carefully.

"There's just so much I want to do. Most of all I want to change some people's lives for the better. I just haven't figured out how to do that." She downed the rest of the wine in one go and stretched out her glass towards Andromeda for a refill..

Andromeda raised an eyebrow and chuckled before filling up her glass. Hermione immediately took a big gulp. Andromeda placed the now empty bottle on the small table and leant back to observe her young guest. She chuckled at her still enraged features, the woman really needed to let off some steam. She was glad that she felt comfortable in her presence to tell her about her work situation. The wine certainly helped, though.

"You know what? I will quit my job first thing tomorrow! God this wine is making me feel hot!" She hasty removed her dark grey blazer and threw it on the empty seat next to her before taking another sip of her wine.

Andromeda blanched when she caught a glimpse of Hermione's forearm. She swallowed hard. The crooked letters, the ugly red of the unhealed flesh, it looked all too familiar. It was clear now why the younger woman had felt a little queasy in her presence. She once more cursed her resemblance to Bellatrix. Carefully, she pushed back the sleeve of her midnight blue cardigan and held out her arm towards Hermione.

Hermione stared at the elder witch's forearm that bore the words "blood traitor" deeply engraved into its soft flesh.

"I guess we both enjoyed the impeccable knife-work of my sister," Andromeda said drily and shoved down the sleeve.

Hermione's mouth went dry when she looked back up at Andromeda. "When did she do this to you?"

* * *

 _1971_

 _"No, I am leaving. It's either leaving or killing myself." Tears ran down her face as she angrily packed her trunk._

 _Narcissa stood wordlessly in the corner, unable to form words._

 _Bellatrix glared at Andromeda. "You dare? You dare to defy our name? You dare to sully yourself with a filthy Mudblood?" She screamed in a high-pitched tone._

 _Andromeda levitated her trunk and swiftly ran downstairs. In the vast entrance hall, her father stopped her by grabbing her arm. He slapped her. "I wish to never see your face again, you are no longer a daughter of mine!" The words didn't hurt Andromeda. She already sensed the freedom that awaited her on the other side of the wooden door._

 _"Bellatrix!" her father called his oldest daughter. "You can have your fun now."_

 _Bellatrix bounced down the stairs, her wand already pointed at her sister._

 _"Crucio!"_

 _Andromeda crashed down to her knees, desperately clutching her chest for air. The pain menacingly seeped deep into all of her limbs. She couldn't see anymore. All went black._

 _When she came back around Bellatrix was pinning her to the floor with her full body weight. She felt a sharp pain on her arm and when she looked, she saw the small silver knife in her sister's hand. She closed her eyes to blank out the pain._

 _When Bellatrix finished her handy-work, she stood up cheerfully and looked down at her sister._

 _"Look at it! It's beautiful."_

 _Andromeda didn't look, she weakly rose to her feet and left, not bothering to take her trunk with her._

 _"Farewell, you whore!" Her sister screamed after her and smashed the door shut._

 _Andromeda didn't look back. She swallowed the tears and apparated._

* * *

"How come it didn't fade after all those years?" Hermione whispered. Sad honey brown eyes looked up at Andromeda, searching for an answer.

"She cursed the blade. It will never fade and we will never be able to glamour it. I researched this rare case of dark magic during my healer-training. Only the one who marked us can reverse the curse." It saddened her to see the young woman's face crumble. She didn't mean to crush her hope.

"No hope for us then," Hermione whispered.

Andromeda nodded in sympathy. She gently took Hermione's arm and lifted it up close to her face to examine it. She cautiously touched the crimson coloured 'M' with her fingertip. Hermione flinched at the contact.

"Thought so," Andromeda muttered under her breath. She swiftly got up from the sofa and left the room.

"What did you think?" Hermione called after Andromeda who was already rummaging through a small white cabinet in the bathroom.

"That your scar still hurts." She returned with a small phial. "This is a potion that heals the wound as much as possible. As I said before, it will never heal completely, but this will lessen the pain considerably and stop the inflammation. I developed it myself since there was no cure available. Ted helped me with it as he was always more skilled at potions than I was. I'm not sure if it still works, I brewed it ages ago." She sat back down beside Hermione and looked at the label. "Ah, in 1975 to be exact. Do you want to try it?"

Hermione took the phial from Andromeda's hands to examine the blue liquid. She then nodded and put it down on the kitchen table.

Andromeda handed Hermione a small cloth. "I'm not going to lie, it will hurt a lot, but you will be fine."

"I hope so," Hermione said, her face slightly white as she placed the cloth between her teeth.

Andromeda carefully opened the phial. Hermione steadied herself. The older witch added two drops of the sapphire coloured liquid on every letter and closed the phial again. She then took both of Hermione's hands and held them tight.

"It will kick in shortly. You can do this," she said reassuringly.

The pain was light at first, like a small tugging at her skin but it increased with every second. Tears of pain formed in her eyes, she squeezed Andromeda's hands hard.

Andromeda didn't flinch at the pressure, she just hoped it would be over soon. "I know it hurts, but just a few more seconds, dear," she spoke softly.

When Hermione's breathing became unsteady and her vision began to blur, Andromeda quickly removed the cloth from her mouth to give her some air.

"Bear with me, Hermione, breathe in and out," she whispered and brushed Hermione's cheek with her free hand, wiping away the small beads of sweat.

Hermione thought her arm was on fire. She watched in horror as dark shadows emerged from the wound and exploded into tiny black particles. She was grateful that Andromeda stayed calm or else she would have had a panic attack. When the burning finally decreased, she relaxed and let go of Andromeda's hand. She still felt a tingling sensation on her arm. The ugly red was slowly fading into a shade of pink and the flesh around the deepest cuts closed up.

Andromeda got up and into the kitchen to get her a glass of orange juice. "Drink this, the sugar will help you."

Hermione lifted the glass with shaky hands and drank the juice in small sips. Her gaze was on her arm again. "Amazing," she whispered and looked up at Andromeda, who fondly smiled at her. "I think this potion could help a lot of people," Hermione said, her eyes wide because of the realisation. "Do you still have the recipe?"

Andromeda nodded and went to the bookcase. She knelt down to search through the bottom shelf. After several minutes, she found the small, leather-clad booklet. She scanned through her handwritten notes and eventually handed it to Hermione.

Hermione scanned the recipe for a while before looking at her again. "Andromeda, does something like that exist now?" A hint of excitement was audible in her voice.

Andromeda thought for a moment. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"I think with this we could make a change. We could help people with lasting scars from the war."

Andromeda's face lit up, her eyes gleaming, she had never thought about that before. "Why don't we start our research next week?" Since she wasn't working anymore she had quite some time to spare.

Hermione nodded eagerly and got up from the couch. She hesitated before hugging the elder witch. Andromeda stalled for a moment but then put her arms around Hermione's waist, squeezing lightly.

"Thank you, Andromeda. For everything," Hermione whispered against her shoulder.


	4. Mirror

**A/N**

Round four! I want to thank everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed my story. You are the best!  
I hope you all enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

When Hermione stepped out of the floo at Grimmauld Place she was surprised to see that Harry and Ginny still awake with Teddy sleeping soundly in the small crib in front of the couch. Hermione noticed their tired faces.

„Is Teddy still fussy?" She asked while wiping away the soot from her clothes.

Harry rubbed his eyes and Ginny looked at her tiredly before answering her. "The poor baby wakes up crying every thirty minutes. I honestly don't know how Andromeda endures this," she said and Hermione nodded in sympathy.

"Did you enjoy Andromeda's company?" Harry asked and motioned for Hermione sit next to him.

She sat down and nodded. "It was lovely, really. Look, she helped me with my scar." Hermione carefully rolled her sleeve up to show the couple the nearly faded scar. "Bellatrix carved the word blood traitor in Andromeda's arm back in the seventies. Maybe you've seen it before?"

Ginny gasped and the young wizard shook his head.

"Unfortunately there is no real remedy but she invented a potion to close it up." She traced the scar with her finger.

Ginny and Harry both looked surprised when she didn't flinch in pain. They both looked at the scar closely.

"We chose to work together to enhance it as I think it could help a lot of people." A smile spread on Hermione's face at the prospect of working on this potion and with the older witch. "We'll start the following week."

"Sounds interesting," Harry said joyfully and his joy made Hermione smile further.

"If it works out well, I'll quite the job!" Hermione laughed and leaned back. They sat in silence for a moment before Hermione shooed the couple away. "Go to sleep. I will watch Teddy."

Harry and Ginny gratefully accepted the offer and disappeared into their bedroom on the second floor.

She bent over Teddy's crib to look at his sleeping form. He was sleeping peacefully, his hair still red like Ginny's and his tiny thumb limply resting between his lips. "You are perfect," she whispered and tenderly stroked his soft, rosy cheek.

Her thoughts wandered back to Andromeda. She took the small notebook out of her bag and scrolled through it. The witch's handwriting was flawless, just as she had expected. The booklet contained several little notes on things the older witch must have written down during her healer training and her time at St. Mungo's. There were short notes describing daily events but it also included difficult Latin expressions and detailed descriptions of spells. Every entry was dated and every page of an entry had a page number. Hermione smiled at a particular note: 'Always ask the trainee to give you the name of the patient!' It was dated June 5, 1980. Hermione wondered what might have happened on this day. She went back to the notes of the potion. They were neatly written and detailed. Someone else had crossed out and replaced ingredients. The handwriting was quite sloppy and Hermione figured it must have been Ted's. Suddenly she realised what she was holding in her hands. The booklet probably held many treasured memories for the other woman. Hermione smiled that Andromeda had left it in her care without a second thought. The smile still graced her lips when she fell asleep.

Teddy cried out soundly and Hermione woke with a start. The notebook fell from her hands and she quickly picked it up before getting up from the couch.

With clumsy hands she picked up the baby, making a face at the ugly smell coming from his nappy. Teddy only smiled at her and with a faint 'pop' his hair became curly and brown. She looked at him in awe.

"You know exactly how to make everything better. Don't you?" she cooed as she transferred him to the couch. She unskilfully changed his nappy and put his blue sleepsuit back on before putting him back into his crib. Just as she was about to turn away his face turned red.

"No, no, baby, please don't cry," she said exasperated but it was already too late for her soothing words. Panic rose in her chest and she regretted not having spent time with him earlier in his life. How silly of her that she never dared to visit them. She reached for her wand and cast numerous turquoise, sparkling butterflies into the air. Teddy immediately stopped crying and, with his tiny hands, tried to catch the sparks. Hermione saw how his eyes got heavier and soon he was fast asleep again. Letting out a relieved sigh, Hermione walked over to the couch, curled up and closed her eyes.

* * *

Andromeda was undressing to put her nightgown on when her reflection in the long mirror caught her eyes.

The mirror had belonged to her aunt. Harry had given it to her after she had stumbled upon it in one of the old bedrooms at Grimmauld Place. She had always admired the long glass with its beautiful silver frame. It was very Slytherin with black snakes and the Black family coat of arms with its motto "Toujours pur" embedded in it. She didn't exactly know what had drawn her to it that day at Grimmauld Place. It represented everything she despised. But when she had opened the black curtain and had seen her reflection, melancholia had washed over her. She had remembered the happier days of her childhood and the fact that she once loved her aunt dearly. She sighed, feeling overwhelmed by her memories.

* * *

 _1965_

 _"Sirius, watch out!" Andromeda yelled when her cousin ran head first into his mother's huge mirror. It wiggled dangerously and Andromeda ran towards Sirius to pull him out of the way. Luckily, Bella was around to catch the mirror from falling. Sirius wriggled free from Andromeda's grip and escaped the room._

 _"What are you two idiots doing?" Bellatrix asked incredulously. "Can I not leave you alone for two minutes without you causing havoc?" She put the mirror back in its original position and crossed her arms in front of her body, giving her a stern look._

 _"No, you can't leave them alone," Narcissa replied haughtily and dragged her older sister towards the door._

 _"Let's get some fancy clothes for Sirius, I want to dress him up nicely," she said. Bella rolled her eyes but followed suit._

 _Andromeda stayed in the room, examining the mirror. She traced the black snakes with her fingertips; they were smooth and nicely carved. Their eyes made out of small emeralds._

 _"It was a wedding gift," she heard her aunt say as the raven-haired witch entered the room._

 _"As we were both Black's already your uncle thought it suitable to gift me this mirror. It belonged to his mother. She got it as a wedding gift as well. Your grandfather made it for her." She gently touched the family crest with her index finger and smiled lightly._

 _"It's a beautiful mirror, Walburga."_

 _"Come sit next to me, ma fille," her aunt gestured to the empty space next to her. Andromeda sat down on the chaise longue. She studied their reflections in the mirror. The loving look on her aunt's face, her blood red coloured lips and the black makeup around her eyes._

 _"You get more beautiful every day, ma chère," she said and brushed her niece's hair with her long delicate fingers. "I wish I had a girl myself," she buried her face in Andromeda's hair._

 _"I'm sure father would've happily exchanged one of us for one of your sons," Andromeda replied drily._

 _"Your father loves all three of you," her aunt replied sternly. But Andromeda knew how much he longed to have a son and that the three of them would never be enough. Just as Sirius and Regulus would never be enough for Walburga._

* * *

Her counterpart in the mirror seemed to be mocking her. She examined the dark puffy circles that had formed beneath her grey eyes. Her hair hung untamed and dull over her shoulders. Every bone was showing on her upper body. She was tracing her collarbone when she realised that she looked more like Bellatrix than ever before. The thought made her shudder. If it weren't for the faint silver stretch marks on her belly and the horrible scar on her forearm she would be certain her dead sister was staring right back at her. She felt it again, the dull pain that never seemed to leave. The faint feeling of unwanted, undeserved grief towards a sister she lost to Molly Weasley's wand. A sister she had already lost thirty years before.

With trembling fingers, she traced the faint marks on her abdomen then the scar on her arm. "How could you do this to me, Bella?" she whispered into the night before covering the mirror with its attached black curtain.

Once in bed, she hugged Ted's pillow tightly, missing his scent and the sound of his voice. She had been looking forward to a peaceful night, a night in which she could finally sleep. Now she tossed and turned, unable to escape the numbing silence of her formerly buzzing home. There were no faint voices coming from the room next door anymore. No stomping footsteps in the hallway as her daughter went to the kitchen for a midnight snack. No rustling of sheets as her husband turned in his sleep. Finally letting go, she let the tears seep into Ted's pillow.

The next morning she anxiously paced in front of the fireplace as she awaited Harry to bring back Teddy. When the young wizard finally stepped out of her floo at precisely 10 o'clock relief washed over her. She pressed Teddy firmly against her heart.

* * *

Two weeks later a small grey owl landed on her windowsill.

"You must be Metis," she stated with a bright smile on her lips and stroked the tiny animals silky feathers. She carefully removed the attached note from its leg and opened it. Excited about Hermione's invitation she quickly wrote her reply and fed Metis some treats.

Later that day Andromeda walked through the door at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. As soon as she stepped over the threshold, aunt Walburga started screaming a series of insults at her disowned niece.

She looked at the portrait with wide eyes. A lump closed her throat and she tried to reassure herself that it was just the charm speaking and not her aunt. " _Arrête,_ je t'en _prie, arrête!_ " she spoke firmly once she found her voice again. To her surprise the portrait fell to the floor with a loud thud, spreading dust everywhere.

Hermione, who had been approaching Andromeda, jumped at the sudden noise. "How did you? And in French?" The young witch asked staring at the portrait on the floor.

"Accidental magic and the blood I believe. I may have been disowned but my blood is as pure and Black as ever," Andromeda stated a small smile dancing on her lips. "We used to speak French frequently at home," she said as she levitated the portrait to get it out of the way. "I actually wanted to get rid of it ever since the war ended. It is charmed to be unkind. My aunt, though, never was," she said, her voice laced with melancholy. "At least never towards me."

"Believe me, I tried to remove it numerous times. It just wouldn't unstick." Hermione was frantically waving her hands.

Andromeda walked towards the younger witch and kissed both of her cheeks softly, tracing her jawline with her finger. "It's been a while," she spoke in a low voice. Her eyes never left Hermione's.

Hermione gave her a half-smile. "I'm sorry. I wanted to invite you earlier but I was so busy with that horrible job," she said and hugged Andromeda. "You look really well. Is Teddy finally sleeping through the night?" she asked as she looked at the older witch from head to toe. She admired the anthracite, well-tailored robes Andromeda wore. They hugged her in all the right places. Her dark hair was artistically braided and its loose end tied up with a black satin ribbon. She looked much healthier than two weeks ago.

"He is and so am I. You should see him now with his new teeth, he looks even more adorable." Andromeda smiled fondly. "He's at his great-grandparents today so we have the evening to ourselves."

Hermione nodded before leading Andromeda towards the kitchen to fetch the already prepared tea. "I did some research and bought pots and ingredients to set up a small potions lab."

Andromeda smiled at the younger witch's excitement and efforts. "Sounds wonderful," she said as she reached for her cup of tea to take a sip. "My healer colleagues assured me that a potion like this does still not exist. We have an actual chance to market it. With Harry's help, I checked out the books in the old library upstairs. I found some texts that might be useful to us. Did my notebook help you?"

Hermione nodded. "It did. I understand the basic mechanisms of the potion, but I still lack the deeper understanding. That's actually where we should begin. Why don't we head upstairs?"

Andromeda agreed and followed the girl past Sirius' and Regulus' old bedrooms into the study that her uncle used to work in. She picked up her notebook from the coffee table. When she opened it, she was confronted with the entry of June 5, 1980. She frowned slightly and switched pages. Hermione who was glancing at the booklet didn't miss the entry.

"I apologise for being so nosy but what happened that night? It sounds like a good story," she said lightly.

Andromeda hesitated for a moment, recalling the event would stir up many emotions but seeing the excitement in the younger woman's face made her willing to tell it. "It's indeed a rather interesting story. Can I tell you over dinner tonight?"

Hermione smiled at the suggestion and happily agreed before sitting down on the worn out brown leather couch. Andromeda sat down next to her and Hermione took the notebook from her hands. Quickly she switched to the notes on the potion.

"I stumbled over the Mandrake you used. What exactly does it do?" she asked, indicating the passage with her finger.

Andromeda furrowed her brows a little. "That was Ted's idea. As far as I know, it's only supposed to give some pain relief."

Hermione furrowed her brow but nodded. "Thought so."

Andromeda contemplated for a moment. "I think you agree with me that it is a useless painkiller. We should exchange it with something stronger," she suggested.

Hermione scooped closer to Andromeda, their thighs nearly touching, before opening an empty page in the notebook. Andromeda enjoyed the younger woman's proximity. The young woman smelled of vanilla and spices, a mix she happily inhaled.

"Do you mind if I add our notes in here?" She asked, ripping Andromeda out of her daydream who quickly shook her head. Andromeda smiled when the younger witch carefully dated the entry and wrote a neat '1' on the bottom of the page before adding her new notes.

They continued to work in silence, scrolling through the books Andromeda had selected. The older witch enjoyed looking at the studious woman next to her. Even the way she was reading a book intrigued Andromeda. She caressed every fresh page with her thumb and she scrunched up her nose from time to time.

Hermione finally looked up from the old, heavy tome in her hands. A smile spread on her lips at her discovery. "I know what we can use as a painkiller. It shouldn't interfere with the other ingredients."

"Go ahead," Andromeda said, putting her own book down on her lap, focusing solely on the younger woman.

"Three aconite leaves. That should be enough to take the edge of the pain," she said excitedly.

Andromeda agreed with her before writing it down in the booklet. She stretched herself. "It's getting late. Why don't we head to mine for dinner?"

"Only if you cook the Muggle way again," she said with a grin on her face.

Andromeda had to laugh at her statement and Hermione immediately adored the small wrinkles that appeared in the corners of her eyes and around her mouth. She was gorgeous when she smiled like that and Hermione wished she'd never stop. A small blush formed on her cheeks and she hoped Andromeda wouldn't notice.

"Cheeky," Andromeda replied softly after she had calmed herself. She stood and reached out her hand to help Hermione up.

* * *

 **A/N 2**

Here are the translations for the French words:  
Ma fille = my girl / Ma chère = my dear / Arrête, je t'en prie, arrête = Stop, I beg of you, stop!


	5. Platinum

**A/N**

I had some free time these past few days and the muse was always at my side. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The closest apparition point was in a small alleyway between Grimmauld Place Number 35 and 37. The two witches walked side by side in a comfortable silence. Once in the small alley, Andromeda grabbed Hermione's hand and placed it on her arm. With a loud 'crack' they were gone. Both of them landed flat on their asses in Andromeda's garden, squashing several yellow flowers in the process.

"Oh my! I will never learn!" The older witch exclaimed in an exasperated voice. She staggered to her feet and walked towards Hermione, who was holding her head with one hand and her stomach with the other. Andromeda helped her up and wiped leaves and dust from the back of Hermione's coat.

"Honestly, Andromeda," Hermione spoke in a berating tone. "How do you not know how to properly apparate?" She dramatically rolled her eyes but her tiny smile gave away her amusement. "Now I do at least know from whom Nymphadora inherited her clumsiness."

Even though the accusation was only playful, Andromeda blushed slightly. "Yes, well, my family tried so hard to get me to behave properly. No, Andromeda, one does not swear. No Andromeda, a lady does not apparate with a loud noise," she mocked. "It's a shame, really that all their efforts were for nought," she added sarcastically and laughed at her own words. She motioned for Hermione to follow her into the house.

She was glad to be home. Her new robes tweaked and clamped and the weight of the cloak seemed to press her down to the floor. She quickly hung it on one of the golden hooks in her hallway and hung Hermione's on the hook next to it.

"I need to get out of this thing. The wool is making me crazy. Could you help me with the zipper, please?" She turned her back towards Hermione.

Hermione reached for it, slightly brushing Andromeda's neck with her cold fingers. Goosebumps immediately formed on her pale skin. She clumsily opened the delicate zipper that stopped just above her bum.

Andromeda striped the robes off and let them fall to the floor. A relieved sigh left her lips and she rubbed her forearms to get rid of the itch. When she looked at Hermione again the younger witch was eyeing her. Only now did she realise she was only wearing her tights and black tank top. She quickly slung her arms around her waist.

Hermione just heard a muffled 'too comfortable' and a 'what were you thinking' escape Andromeda's lips when she brushed past Hermione to get upstairs. Her rant made Hermione chuckle.

Once in her bedroom she took a deep breath and scolded herself for her stupidity. Andromeda looked at Hermione slightly blushed when she came down the stairs again wearing a fitting emerald blouse and black slacks "I'm sorry, I didn't think. I just wanted to get out of these clothes."

"You don't need to apologise. I'm glad you feel that comfortable around me." Hermione admitted. She kept the thought to herself that she rather enjoyed seeing Andromeda in only her tights and a small top. The older witch had a beautiful figure.

Andromeda smiled warmly and squeezed her arm. "I bought these robes a few days ago, obviously without realising that I can't stand wool on my skin." She rubbed her arms again and walked towards the kitchen asking her what she'd like for dinner.

Hermione thought for a minute before settling for pizza. Andromeda quickly prepared the dough and let Hermione knead it. After a while, Hermione looked up at Andromeda who was currently cutting the peppers.

Hermione had to laugh at the sight. "You have flour all over your clothes."

Andromeda exhaled soundly and wiped the flour away before looking at her with a smile. "And you have some in your hair," she said playfully and ran her hand through Hermione's soft brown curls. She brushed a loose strand behind the younger witches' ear before focusing on cutting the vegetables again.

She soon felt Hermione's gaze on her and faced her again.

"I still can only barely grasp that you know how to cook. I mean you must have grown up with countless house elves," the young woman spoke with amusement in her voice.

Andromeda gave her a stern look before smiling herself. "Not countless but they did indeed cook for us. I was rubbish in the beginning."

"I'm glad you improved."

Andromeda just laughed at the remark and spread the cheese on top of the pizza. "Please go ahead, make yourself comfortable in the living room."

Hermione sat down on the mint-green couch and crossed her legs. Andromeda entered the room with a glass of wine and a glass of cider.

"I figured you still wouldn't want wine." She handed the glass to Hermione and hesitated for a second before sitting down close to the younger witch.

The red liquid shimmered slightly as she held her glass into the light. She took a sip and looked at Hermione. The young woman was playing with the glass in her hand, her gaze fixated on the portraits on the wall. Andromeda took the chance to look at her body. The white blouse she wore fit her perfectly, showing off her curves. Her shiny brown curls hung freely around her shoulders and their colour accentuated her eyes. The woman beside her was truly beautiful. A warm feeling spread in her stomach and before giving it a second thought, Andromeda blamed it on the wine.

The young woman was still deep in thought when she addressed her. "What's on your mind, dear?" Andromeda asked gently.

Hermione drew her gaze away from the picture with the three small girls in it. "When was the last time you spoke to Narcissa?" Hermione asked carefully, afraid her curiosity would eventually cross a boundary.

The question surprised Andromeda but she answered her without hesitation. "Believe it or not, it was on June 5, 1980." She took a sip of her wine.

Hermione stared at her, trying to process the coincidence. "Will you tell me about that day?"

"Why is it that I can't resist answering," Andromeda said. Her voice sounded a bit distant and Hermione opened her mouth to interfere.

"No, no," Andromeda put her finger on Hermione's lips, "I will tell you." Andromeda moved closer to Hermione their thighs touching this time.

"I won't tell a soul," Hermione spoke.

* * *

 _June 5, 1980_

 _St. Mungo's healing-staff was especially busy this hot day. The first wizarding war was taking its tolls with hundreds of severely injured people flooding the wards._

 _Andromeda was walking towards the exit when a flustered mediwitch tapped her shoulder._

 _"Sorry to delay you Andromeda, but there's a shortage of healers tonight and an emergency just came in."_

 _Andromeda sighed and asked the woman to owl Ted. She climbed the stairs tiredly, unsure whether she could handle this case. The shortage of healers made her days nearly unbearable. She rarely slept more than four hours a night these days. Temperatures over 30° C didn't make the situation better either. Not even cooling charms helped anymore._

 _With a steady pace, she approached the private room at the end of the corridor._

 _"Must be someone wealthy then", she thought._

 _A young healer in training handed her the file of the patient._

 _"The poor woman has been in labour for more than fourteen hours. They wanted to do the delivery at home but failed. Her husband said she's lost a lot of blood in the last hour."_

 _Andromeda thanked the young wizard and steadied herself, "you can do this, Tonks". With a strong push, she opened the door._

 _"Good evening. My name is healer Tonks," she said, her gaze fixated on the file in her hand._

 _"You!" A cold male voice stated accusingly. The voice sent a chill down Andromeda's spine, her eyes shot up and searched for the patient. She felt lightheaded when she saw the sweat covered platinum blonde hair of her little sister._

 _Anger formed in her chest "Shall I call back the young trainee of mine? Shall the one with no experience treat your wife? It really is your choice now, Lucius," Andromeda spat._

 _"Stay, 'ndie, please." Her sisters defeated voice cut through the tension. The blonde's eyes fluttered shut once more._

 _Lucius gave a nod and took a step away from his suffering wife to let the healer pass. Andromeda called the mediwitch, ordering her to bring potions for pain relief and strength. Narcissa desperately needed the energy to deliver this child._

 _"Do not mess this up, blood-traitor." Lucius spat._

 _Andromeda began scanning Narcissa's belly with her hands, leaving his snide remark unanswered. She would solely focus on her little sister tonight. When she felt the baby's head, she placed the tip of her wand softly against Narcissa's ivory skin. The incantations were long and difficult and they drained her of all the magic she had left. When the last word was spoken, Narcissa woke with a gasp and Andromeda collapsed beside her._

 _"Push, Cissy," Andromeda managed. "You need to push!"_

 _She grabbed her sister's hand and was surprised with what force her Narcissa squeezed it. With all the strength she had left, Narcissa pushed. Andromeda dragged herself up to check the progress. Relief washed over her when she saw the baby's platinum-blond head._

 _"Once more, dear." Andromeda was overwhelmed when she held her nephew for the first time. He marked his arrival with a hearty scream. Carefully she put the boy in his mother's arms._

 _"You did wonderfully, Cissy. He's beautiful."_

 _Andromeda brushed her sister's cheek with her fingers, treasuring the moment. Narcissa hesitantly reached for her sister's hand, tears gleaming in her eyes._

 _"Leave now, scum."_

 _Lucius words hit her right in the heart. "You are welcome, Mr Malfoy. I'm happy BOTH your wife and child are safe now," she remarked coldly. She locked eyes with Narcissa once more. Her younger sister just gave her a defeated smile._

 _Andromeda fell to her knees the moment the door closed behind her._

 _"Healer Tonks, let me help you." Her young trainee rushed at her side and lifted her back on her feet._

 _"Would you mind apparating me home, Mr Ross? I'm afraid the healing took all my strength." He nodded and linked arms with her._

 _They landed in the garden of her home with a 'pop'. He wished her a good night. She dragged herself to the front door and to her relief Ted was immediately by her side and carried her up to bed._

 _"I delivered Narcissa's baby boy tonight," she whispered, leaning into his embrace, hot tears forming in her eyes._

 _"Oh, Dromeda." He wrapped his arms tighter around her shoulders._

* * *

"I was so afraid she'd die that night. She was so pale." Andromeda's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She looked at the young brunette, who was now resting her head on her shoulder.

"She helped Ted and me once. We had just had Dora and money was tight. One day at Gringotts the goblin told me that an anonymous donor made a deposit to our vault. It was over 1'000 galleons. With the money came a small piece of parchment 'I will love you forever' was written on it. Without a name, of course, but I would have recognised Narcissa's flawless script anywhere. She had taken a great risk giving it to me but I will forever be grateful."

"Is that why you planted the daffodils in your garden?" Hermione asked after a while and looked up into Andromeda's grey eyes.

"You are even more perceptive than I thought," Andromeda smiled as she ran her fingers through the younger woman's silky hair. Hermione enjoyed the closeness and the warmth and put her hand on Andromeda's thigh. After savouring the closeness for a while, Andromeda felt Hermione stir. She reluctantly let her get up from the sofa.

"I should leave now, it's late," she whispered.

Andromeda stood and hugged her tightly, burying her face in her hair, inhaling her unique scent. "Will I see you soon?" She asked not doubting the answer would be yes.

"Of course, I'll owl you."

After the young woman had disappeared into green flames, a familiar emptiness formed in the pit of Andromeda's stomach. Her house felt empty without the young woman. She went upstairs into her bathroom to get ready for bed. As she looked at her reflection, the realisation hit her. She remembered the feeling well, having felt it for the first time more than thirty years ago. She was in love with her. Studying her face for a bit longer, she wondered how it was possible for her to fall for a woman not even half her age.

Hermione stumbled out of the floo and rushed upstairs into her bedroom. She closed the door behind and slid down to the floor. She couldn't ignore the pull towards the beautiful witch anymore. Her scent haunted her. The sweet mix of florals, a hint of musk. She put her fingers on her lips, still feeling the ghost of the older woman's touch.

She quickly scribbled a note and gave it to Metis.


	6. Commotion

It was already past two o'clock. She was sitting at Ted's old desk in their study, absentmindedly staring at their wedding picture. Her thoughts were miles away and mainly with Hermione. Doubts flooded her mind. Could she let herself fall for Hermione? Would she betray the memory of her late husband? A tapping sound on her windowpane woke her from her daydream.

"You are a fast flyer, aren't you?" she asked and Metis immediately hopped on her hand when she opened the window.

"I won't write an answer tonight," she told the small owl. "But you can stay if you like." Metis fluttered from her hand back to the window and disappeared into the night. "Guess not," she muttered, closed the window and unwrapped the paper.

 _'There's no use in weeping,  
Bear a cheerful spirit still;  
Never doubt that fate is keeping  
Future good for present ill!'_

Knowing them well, the words touched her deeply. Charlotte Brontë's work helped her deal with the immediate pain right after the war. She held the note close to her heart and swallowed hard before descending downstairs to search through her bookcase. The small book in her hands was old and nearly tattered. She stroked over the fading ink of the dedication and switched to her favourite passage.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Andromeda let herself fall down on the lemon-coloured armchair. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she looked down at the book in her lap. The dedication echoed in her head.

"How, Leda? How could I ever forget about you?" Brushing her hair behind her ears, she rested her head against the soft backrest and only closed her eyes for a second.

* * *

Hermione waited anxiously by the window, hoping that Metis reached Andromeda before she was asleep. She had always loved Charlotte Brontë's work. Her mission was to give Andromeda some comfort with the poem. She wanted to show her how much she cared.

Out of nowhere, a blue light appeared in her bedroom and morphed into a lioness. Hermione marvelled at the animal, she was gracious and quick on her paws.

"Your will shall decide your destiny," Andromeda's hushed voice spoke. The lioness circled her twice more before dissolving into thin air.

"So you do indeed know Jane Eyre well," Hermione whispered into the darkness of her room and slipped under her covers. The thought of the older witch made her heart beat faster. She missed her warmth and her soft touch already. She wanted her and she would fight against any odds to get her.

* * *

Every bone and muscle hurt the next morning. She heaved herself up from the armchair and stretched her back. Her hair was a mess and she unsuccessfully tried to tame her mane before settling for a messy bun. She hastily washed her face. "Salazar, you look ridiculous," she muttered at her already thirty minutes late, she had no intention to change clothes. The safest apparition point close to their house was a five-minute walk away which was too far away right now. She took the risk and apparated straight to their front door, hoping that no Muggle was around. After ringing the doorbell three times, her mother-in-law finally opened.

"I'm sorry dearest, I didn't hear the doorbell," her mother-in-law said once she opened the door. Music was blaring from inside the house and the older woman stepped closer and drew her into a tight hug.

"You look awful today, whatever happened? You were so pretty yesterday morning." She tugged at Andromeda's clothes and tried to fix her hair.

"Nice to see you too, Helen," she said sarcastically. "You know, I can fix my clothes myself." She playfully slapped away Helen's hands that were still fumbling with the crumpled collar of her blouse.

Helen laughed and dragged her inside. "Sit, have tea with me."

She pushed her down on one of the wooden chairs in the dining room. The table was a mess, covered completely by sewing things and other knickknacks. Andromeda shoved some of it away to make space for the steaming tea. When she sat down her wand poked her in the back. She quickly placed it on the table next to her cup. Her mother-in-law eyed it suspiciously.

"I'll never get used to that."

Andromeda rolled her eyes in amusement and put the ebony wand in her sleeve.

"Richard is upstairs feeding Teddy. We have a few minutes to have a nice girl-to-girl chat."

Andromeda frowned and steadied herself for the interrogation. Her mother-in-law had always been too straightforward for her taste. She absolutely wasn't in the mood for any enquiry on her well-being.

"Don't pout, dear. You know you can't escape my questioning."

Andromeda laughed. "That's nothing new."

"Why didn't you sleep?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Don't avoid the question, love."

"If you need to know. My thoughts kept me awake at first. And then I fell asleep on my armchair." She massaged her neck.

"Thoughts about what?" Helen was relentless.

Andromeda tried to avoid answering. She could not tell Ted's mother about her feelings for Hermione. She had to sort things out on her own first.

"You are playing with your hands and are tugging at your clothes. Something is bothering you. Should I be worried?" Helen furrowed her brows. Andromeda lifted her gaze but stayed silent.

"You should tell me. You can't heal properly when you don't share your feelings."

The words hit home, raising a fundamental question. A question she had been asking herself too often lately. She clenched her jaw and looked out of the window. Helen's ability to make her face all of her demons at once was astonishing.

"Is it really possible for me to heal properly?" She asked bitterly. Her mother-in-law swallowed hard.

"I don't know," Helen whispered after a while. "I don't know."

Andromeda's apparent sorrow did not stop her mother-in-law from nagging her further. Helen raised her voice the next time she addressed Andromeda.

"Hell, you are not dead yet, Andromeda, so stop sulking." She slammed her hand hard on the table. The noise made Andromeda jump in her chair.

"There is still so much to live for. Just look around. For God's sake, you are not even fifty!"

Andromeda took a deep breath but couldn't calm herself. "I sincerely hope that I'm not dead yet. I hope that this godforsaken pain in my chest will be gone once I'm cold and six feet under." She was all wrought up but her tone icy and her voice low. The chair tumbled dangerously when she got up a bit harsher than intended.

Helen flinched at her sudden movement but stayed silent.

Andromeda looked down at her shaking hands and tried again to compose herself. "Look, I'm sorry. I just can't tell you right now. I promise you that I will take care of myself. I already found some light in my darkness." She smiled warmly, too warmly.

Helen realised immediately what was going on. Her voice was a mere whisper, her eyes filled with sadness. "You've met someone."

Andromeda slowly sat down again and closed her eyes. She put her elbows on the table, interlaced her fingers and pressed her forehead against her hands. She couldn't lie to her mother-in-law. The woman had always loved her like a daughter.

"Yes," she managed. She searched Helen's eyes and gave her a defeated smile.

"Looks like someone missed you." Richard smiled brightly when he entered the room and handed her Teddy. Her father-in-law immediately sensed the built-up tension inside the dining room. Andromeda looked at Helen for one more moment then took Teddy in her arms. The boy was already gripping her hair with his hands.

Her mother-in-law looked at her silently for a while then addressed her husband. "She's met someone."

The coldness in Helen's voice stabbed Andromeda in the chest. But she understood the older woman's feelings. Helen had lost her child when her husband died.

Richard managed a small smile but stayed silent. He sat down on the chair next to Helen and put his arm around her shoulders. She was clearly upset. "I'm sorry," Helen whispered eventually and got up. She stroked Andromeda's shoulder as she passed her by and let her fingers linger for a second. When Andromeda lifted her hand to touch them, she quickly withdrew her hand. Without another word, she left the room.

"Don't worry; we'll wrap our heads around this." Richard absentmindedly said.

She simply nodded and stood up. "I visit you again soon," she promised as she stepped out of the house.

Once outside she felt relieved. Hot rays of sun burned down on her hair and it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness. She apparated them to the playground close to her home. Teddy squealed with joy when he spotted the ducks swimming in the near pond. He immediately tried to wiggle his way out of her grasp.

She smiled brightly at his excitement and sat him down on the soft grass. "Do you want to see the ducks?" she asked and gestured towards the birds.

"Duck!" he exclaimed and waved his hands, a toothy smile on his face. He clumsily walked towards the pond. Wordlessly she cast a charm to keep Teddy away from the water and close to her. She sat down on the grass, closed her eyes and let the sun warm her skin. Her thoughts went back to Hermione and she still wasn't sure how to proceed from here. She feared that her heart had already decided, though.

The toddler waddled back towards her, screeching because a duck was following him. She laughed heartily at his attempts to shoo the animal away. She got up from her place in the sun and picked him up before sitting down on the swings with him in her lap. His hair was currently light brown and he somehow managed to keep it this way. She kissed it softly and breathed in his scent. Her heart could burst with the love she had for him. She swayed them until Teddy began to whine.

Metis was impatiently waiting on her windowsill when they came home. This time she carried the note in her beak. Andromeda sat Teddy down in his playpen and unfolded the note with a smile on her lips.

'Can I see you tonight?'

Andromeda's heart skipped a beat. With Ted's old pen she wrote a neat 'yes' beneath the question before giving the parchment back to Metis. The owl looked at her expectantly.

"You are a greedy bird." She carried the animal inside and fed her some treats.

* * *

"Hello?" Hermione called into the house later that night. "Are you home?"

"Come upstairs, we're in the attic," Andromeda's voice sounded through the house.

Hermione climbed the stairs then proceeded to the wooden ladder that led up to the attic. "How is my sweet boy doing?" Hermione exclaimed when she poked her head through the hatch. The toddler was fixated on his grandmother's face and didn't even so much as glance at her.

Andromeda smiled and stood up from her kneeling position in front of the silver telescope. She smoothed her clothes and then helped the witch to get into the attic. She greeted her with a soft kiss on her cheek. "Sorry I lost track of time."

"Don't worry. What are you two doing up here?" Hermione moved closer to the telescope that peaked out of the skylight.

"He is fidgety from all the sugary things his great-grandparents fed him. I always show him the night sky when he can't sleep. It seems to calm him." She looked at him and smiled. "Or maybe it just bores him."

Hermione knelt down in front of the telescope and looked through it. The stars were visible with a clarity Hermione did not expect. Andromeda's house stood in the middle of bright lights after all. She gasped audibly.

Andromeda saw the surprise on her lips. "It's a magical telescope. It blanks out all of the other lights."

"That is brilliant. What am I looking at?"

"A star called Schedar. It's the brightest star in the constellation called Cassiopeia. If you turn the telescope slightly to the right you'll spot the galaxy I am named after." Andromeda moved closer, reached over Hermione's shoulder and adjusted the telescope. Her warm breath tickled Hermione's neck. "This should be far enough," she said softly.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Hermione said. 'Just like you,' she thought as she observed the older woman.

Andromeda's mouth twitched upwards. "I know, right?"

"Teddy, what other stars did your grandma show you today?" She asked the squirming toddler as she sat him down on her lap.

"Siwius!" he exclaimed, unable to pronounce the 'R'.

Hermione smiled brightly at him and corrected his pronunciation before looking at Andromeda again. "Can I see it?"

The older witch was immediately by her side. "There you go. It's the brightest star in the sky. Further to the right, you see the constellation called 'Orion'. It was my uncle's name."

"Oh, I know this constellation," Hermione exclaimed and adjusted the telescope by herself. "Correct me if I'm wrong. The brightest star is Rigel, right? Which is followed by Bellatrix?" She had spoken the name without thinking. Terrified she looked at Andromeda. The older woman was slightly paler than moments before but seemed otherwise unaffected.

She looked at Hermione for a moment and cleared her throat. "Bellatrix is the third brightest," she eventually corrected, trying her best to keep her voice from trembling.

"Bella!" Teddy exclaimed and clapped his hands.

Andromeda smiled at his excitement. "Yes, darling, Bella!" she said and the moment her sister's nickname rolled over her lips she felt a pang of pain. She was still smiling at her grandsons when the first tear fell.

Hermione noticed immediately. "Oh, no, Andie. Please don't cry." Her nickname felt sweet on her tongue. She scooted closer to her and wiped them away with her finger.

Andromeda looked at her. "Sometimes the tears just fall." She shrugged and wiped her cheeks. A small smile formed on her lips but to Hermione's regret, it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Hermione gathered all her courage and took Andromeda's hands in her own. "Do you miss her?"

Andromeda was surprised by the question and stalled for a moment. "Am I despicable if I do?" she asked back, her voice wary.

"No," Hermione said with a certainty that surprised Andromeda even more.

"I will never forgive her. But Salazar, I do miss her in such bright nights." She faced Hermione again, her eyes still watery.

Hermione saw the sorrow in her grey eyes and wondered how much of her grief she was keeping to herself. She was determined to figure it out.

"It's a curse that they're named after stars. Every time I look up at the sky I'm forced to remember." Her voice was full with melancholia as she longingly looked up into the sky. She reached for Teddy and lay down flat on her back, positioning him on her chest. The small boy snuggled into her embrace and almost immediately dozed off. His closeness immediately calmed her.

Hermione carefully shoved a few strands of Andromeda's hair away to lay down close next to her. The older witch grabbed her hand. They gazed at the stars together.

Hermione pushed her forehead against Andromeda's arm. "I want to be there for you. You can share anything with me," she said softly.

* * *

 **A/N**

The note Hermione wrote is an extract of Charlotte Brontë's Poem "Parting". I liked it a lot and I thought it suited Andromeda's situation quite well. Please let me know if I totally misinterpreted it.


	7. Confrontation

**A/N**

You guys are amazing! I'm still overwhelmed by the feedback the last chapter received. Thank you all for reading!

* * *

"I could easily fall asleep like this," she mused while stroking Teddy's hair.

Hermione sat up and marvelled at the two of them. Andromeda was gorgeous laying there peacefully with her eyes closed. Teddy's hair was in its natural state and it looked like Andromeda's, dark brown and curly. Unlike hers, his didn't show any hints of silver. She wished she had a camera.

"I want to be with you," she whispered. Andromeda opened her eyes and stared at her in disbelieve to Hermione's dismay, she didn't answer and averted her gaze again.

"Let me be with you," Hermione tried again.

Andromeda's heart fluttered at the thought of being with Hermione, of being completely hers. The young woman was reaching out to her and she had to restrain herself from pulling her close. She got up from the floor and walked towards the door, knowing her actions would hurt the young woman. "I need to put him to bed," she spoke softly.

Hermione grabbed her wrist before she could climb back down. "Let me help you. It's obvious that you are struggling right now," she ran her finger across Andromeda's jaw and the older witch closed her eyes.

She freed herself from Hermione's grip and looked at her pleadingly. "Wait for me downstairs, please?" she asked and disappeared down the ladder.

Her knees were weak but she managed to walk towards Teddy's bedroom. She heard Hermione descend the stairs when she opened the door to the nursery and put Teddy into his crib. The painted landscape on Teddy's bedroom wall once again astounded her. Her eyes lingered on the blank space in the middle of the wall. Nymphadora had spent nearly two months on the painting, saving the centrepiece for the end. She had stopped painting the day Ted died, and thus never finished it. Nymphadora kept her plans for the centrepiece a secret and now the ugly white patch would forever be a painful reminder that her family had been ripped apart.

She closed her eyes and willed away the tears and the memories. She sunk down on the floor and leant against Teddy's dresser. She longed to be with Hermione, to be loved by her and to love her back. Fear, however, held her back. Fear that, in the end, she would cause Hermione pain. Usually, she couldn't care less what people thought about her. The last time she cared what the paper wrote was when she was still living with her parents and keeping up appearances was everything that mattered. But now she was afraid what the papers would write, what the young woman's friends would think. A love affair with a woman old enough to be her mother and on top of that Bellatrix Blacks' sister. She leant her head back against the dresser and sighed. How could she possibly burden a girl in her twenties with her life of pain and loss? She shook her head and got up. It pained her profoundly to reject Hermione. She gathered herself and returned downstairs. Hermione was sitting at the kitchen table, a pot of steaming tea and two cups stood in front of her. The young woman opened her mouth to speak but Andromeda interrupted her.

"This pain-" she put her hand on her heart, fingertips white from the pressure "-will not leave me. It will stay with me until I die. It's been two years now and it feels like it was yesterday. I am in a dark place right now, Hermione. I couldn't bear to take you down with me." Her eyes were hard but unfocused. For a second, she just stood there, not even blinking. Hermione's heart sank at the sight. The usual tall and graceful woman looked utterly small and utterly defeated. Hermione studied her face until her mask of indifference slipped back upon her face.

"It didn't get better because you didn't grieve properly. You only started when Teddy was teething," Hermione said matter-of-factly without evidence behind this accusation. She just wanted to push Andromeda to open up.

Andromeda's eyes focused Hermione and she felt anger rise in her throat. She couldn't school her features anymore. "What do you know about grief?" she snapped, her voice hard. It was a low blow and completely unfair.

Hermione shrugged it off before giving it a second thought. "You hide your emotions incredibly well. Hell, I haven't even seen you cry at their funerals. I'm sure you grieved silently, but you swallowed most if it down. For Teddy's sake." Again, just a simple assumption and yet it had the desired effect.

Andromeda's face crumbled and she stayed quiet for a moment to gather her words. "With whom, pray tell, should I have shared my feelings with?" she asked, her voice hard but trembling lightly. She couldn't look at Hermione anymore so she closed her eyes.

The young witch stayed focused, not letting anything distract her from her mission. Not even the fact that she had indeed not remembered the circumstance that Andromeda had no one left to turn to. Not even by the sad expression on Andromeda's face that hurt her heart. She desperately wanted to embrace her, to comfort her.

"So you admit that you never shared them."

Andromeda gasped. She wanted to snap back at Hermione but the words died in her throat.

"There's no shame in it, Andromeda. You already shared things with me." Hermione had gotten up from her chair and approached the pacing woman.

Andromeda felt utterly vulnerable but unwilling to let the woman close. When Hermione was close enough to touch her, she felt cornered and in her desperation drew her wand.

"Ah, ah, don't do that!"

Andromeda had neither the intention nor the strength to block the spell. Hermione caught the ebony wand with ease. Andromeda lowered her shaking hand. Defenceless and with nowhere to run, she gave in. Her voice was merely a whisper when she spoke again.

"You are right. I didn't process their deaths properly. I repress my feelings as good as I can. I only think about them when I am unable to sleep... My thoughts always circle around the same daunting question, though: Why did I not fight alongside my daughter?"

Hermione paled and opened her mouth to give her an answer.

Andromeda closed her eyes and waved her hand before rubbing her forehead. "Don't, please, I cannot hear it." Her voice was hushed. She started pacing around the room again, breathing shallowly and playing with her fingers.

"Lately I tried to deal with it. I cleaned out Ted's side of the closet. Then I added Nymphadora's books to our-" she swallowed hard and took a breath"-my bookcase in the living room. Three days ago, I cried into her sheets after I had ripped her favourite poster off the wall. And this morning my nosy mother-in-law made me miserable. It's hard being me right now." She shrugged her shoulders and tried to gather herself.

Hermione slowly approached the fragile woman, took her hands and kissed them. Andromeda wasn't showing any emotions anymore. Her blank expression worried Hermione more than the outburst mere minutes ago. She sat her down at the table and put a cup of lavender tea in front of her. Andromeda slowly lifted the cup to her lips but spilled half of the content. Annoyed, she put the cup back down on the table. Her whole body was shaking from her attempt to suppress her feelings.

"Andie, you have to let go," Hermione told her softly and took her cold hands again. "You can share your feelings with me."

"I can't." The first tear rolled slowly down her cheek and she knew she couldn't stay strong anymore. But she wasn't willing to burden the young woman like that.

Hermione sensed her distress. She felt bad, she had wanted her to open up but it was never her intention to break her. She wouldn't torment her further. Hermione wiped away the tear with her thumb.

"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have forced you. You should sleep. I will stay here and take care of Teddy." She got up and put her hand on the older witch's shoulder.

Andromeda felt relieved. She searched Hermione's face and found nothing but certainty. "You can sleep in Nymphadora's room if you like," she spoke softly whilst leading her upstairs to the door with the big 'Do not enter' sign. It hung there since Nymphadora had been a teenager. It was still hard entering her room. She took a deep breath before she opened the door.

"My room is the next one if you need something. The bathroom is right there." She pointed to the yellow door across the hallway. "Make yourself at home. I'm sure you find something to sleep in inside her closet."

Her eyes were watery, her voice weak. Hermione kissed her forehead and let her lips linger a bit on the warm skin, gently brushing some stray curls behind her ears. Andromeda relaxed at her touch and cupped Hermione's cheek, gently stroking it with her thumb. Hermione shoved her wand back into her palm before she left for her bedroom.

Shreds of Tonks favourite poster were still scattered across the floor. With a simple spell, Hermione cleaned them up and levitated them into the bin. She looked around the room. It was a tad messy but clean from dust. A photo album on the desk caught her attention. It lay open and showed baby pictures of Nymphadora. Most of them were moving. She carefully switched pages. With every double page Tonks grew up, her hair always coloured in a different shade of the rainbow. On the last page, Tonks had added a picture of Teddy. She must have taken it shortly after his birth. She traced the photo with her finger before closing the album again. Tonks closet was a complete disarray. T-shirts, pants and jackets were all crammed into the same shelf. She settled for a 'Rolling Stones' t-shirt and bright yellow cotton leggings. An item only someone like Tonks would own. She slipped beneath the soft sheets. They smelled of flower-scented laundry detergent and nothing else. A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought of her friend.

Andromeda removed her clothes and let her hair down. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, finally allowing her tears to fall freely. She watched how they ran down her cheeks, alongside her throat and finally disappeared into the fabric of her bra. She was angry with herself for not allowing herself the closeness and love she deserved but mostly angry with THEM because THEY left her. She nervously tugged at her wedding band and eventually slipped it off her finger. 'Love conquers all - 1972' she snorted at the engraving and threw the ring at the mirror with full force. It bounced right off the sleek surface without leaving as much as a scratch. Slowly she sank down to the floor and screamed, "je vous déteste!" She pressed her palm hard against her mouth to muffle the sound.

Hermione woke from her slumber unsure what had woken her. She was still gathering herself when she heard the sobs coming from the room next to hers. It was hard to hear the older woman cry like this. She chose to give Andromeda the privacy she had offered her but with every passing minute and every muffled scream, hearing her suffer became more and more unbearable. After nearly an hour, the sobbing became quiet and Hermione wasn't able to take it anymore.

She knocked softly and received no answer. Carefully, she opened the door just enough to glance inside. The green blouse and black pants were scattered across the room. Near the bed, she spotted her rose gold wedding ring. She carefully picked it up, turned it in her fingers before putting it on the nightstand. She gasped when she finally laid eyes on Andromeda. She was sitting on her knees in front of a huge mirror, one hand firmly pressed against her mouth and hugging herself with the other arm. Her hair trailed down her sides and her back, covering parts of her face. She had stopped sobbing, calmly looked at her reflection in the mirror and whispered to herself. Hermione could not make out the words but it sounded foreign, most likely French. Andromeda hadn't noticed her intrusion yet.

"Andie," she whispered, the sight of the defeated woman breaking her heart.

Andromeda was surprised to hear the younger woman's voice. Slowly she lifted her head to look at her. With a hoarse voice and an apologetic tone she asked, "did I wake you?" Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks when she saw the distress on Hermione's face.

The young witch firmly shook her head. "No, my love. I wasn't able to sleep. May I sit down?" she carefully asked and walked into the room after Andromeda had nodded.

She snatched a blanket from the bed and placed it on Andromeda's shoulders before kneeling down in front of her. Hermione's face was filled with worry and tears were shining in her eyes. Hermione wiped Andromeda's tears away with both her hands.

Hermione soothed her until Andromeda was able to calm herself. All her strength was gone so Hermione had to help her get up from the cold floor. The young witch slung her arms around her and Andromeda leant into the embrace, stroking Hermione's back. Fresh, hot tears seeped into the 'Rolling Stones' shirt. Slowly they walked towards the bed. The older witch slipped under her covers.

Hermione sat on the edge of the mattress. "Do you need something else, love?" she asked and brushed some curls out of her face.

Despite her previous reservations, Andromeda couldn't deny herself the closeness her heart so strongly longed for anymore. "Please stay. I'm sick of being alone all the time," she whispered almost inaudibly and clasped Hermione's t-shirt with her hand.

Hermione stroked her cheek. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Andromeda's scent lingered everywhere. It overwhelmed her, made her feel warm and loved. Quiet sobs brought her back to reality. Andromeda still lay on her side, facing the window. Hermione snuggled up to her and slung her arm around her waist. Stiff at first, Andromeda soon relaxed and savoured the closeness. She had forgotten how good it felt to be touched, to be loved by someone. Hermione nuzzled her face into her neck and kissed her skin softly.

"You are an unbelievably strong woman, Andromeda. Please don't forget that."

Andromeda swallowed hard. She was unable to form words. Instead, she simply squeezed Hermione's arm reassuringly and kissed her palm.

The first thing Andromeda noticed in the morning was the heat radiating from the body next to her. She carefully untangled herself from the sheets and turned around. Hermione was still fast asleep. Andromeda drank in her beauty. She was radiant, even early in the morning. In this very moment, all her doubts from last night vanished. She was still scared what they would have to face, but now she was ready to take the risk. How could she not? The girl was radiant, intelligent, attentive and warm-hearted. She couldn't wish for more. She stroked Hermione's soft cheek.

Crying had helped her clear her mind but her head felt heavy and dizzy when she got up. She slipped out of the room and into the bathroom to take a hot shower. The water felt divine and afterwards, she went straight to Nymphadora's room to borrow clothes again. She picked Hermione's clothes up from the floor, folded them sloppily and placed them on the bed. She noticed that the girl must have cleaned up her mess from four nights ago. She had not left a single speck of paper behind. Nymphadora's closet held a vast variety of clothes and she searched through them for a little while before setting on a pair of blue jeans and a white top. The tight pants were a struggle to put on and she considered shortly to use magic. During the process, she noticed that her wedding band wasn't on her finger anymore. She only vaguely remembered that she took it off the night before. She slipped the shirt over her head and fetched her whining grandson before going back to her room to wake Hermione. Her ring was sitting on the nightstand. She twisted it in her fingers, looked at the young woman in her bed and contemplated whether to leave it off for good. Eventually, she slipped it back on, enjoying the slight tingling on her skin.

Hermione woke when the mattress dipped. Bright sunlight was blinding her eyes when she opened them. Only slowly Andromeda came into focus.

"Good morning my love," she said to Andromeda and reached for Teddy's hand. The boy ignored her attempt as he was occupied with his grandma's hair. Both women smiled at him fondly before Andromeda looked at Hermione again.

She gave her a fond smile and leant over kiss her cheek. "Hello, my love."

Hermione looked at her and studied her expression. She looked good this morning, not a trace from last night's struggle was visible on her face. "You are beaming. I assume you're feeling better?"

"You did that," Andromeda whispered and scooted closer to Hermione. Just as she leant over to kiss her on the lips, Hermione turned and got out of bed, completely oblivious of Andromeda's intentions. Andromeda let her head fall back against the headboard and laughed at the missed opportunity.

Hermione turned around to look at her with a puzzled expression, then smiled brightly and exclaimed: "I'm starving!"

* * *

 **A/N**

Je vous déteste! = I hate you!

I'm always open to (helpful) criticism. It helps me to improve my writing. So if you have some advice; just send me a PM :)


	8. Stirring

Andromeda had to gather herself for a moment. She looked longingly at Hermione's lips once more and sighed at the missed opportunity. The girl still looked at her with a smile on her face.

"Let's feed you then," she said eventually and stood. Her sleepy grandson soundly protested against the sudden movement and began to squirm. Hermione stepped closer to take him from her arms. The boy immediately changed his hair into curls and his eyes to honey-brown. Andromeda ruffled his hair and smiled fondly at him.

Hermione kissed his forehead. "Can I feed him breakfast?" she asked.

Andromeda agreed and led the way down the spiral staircase into the kitchen. Hermione sat him in his white highchair at the top of the kitchen table and put the bib around him. A mix of mashed carrots and potatoes appeared in front of her and Andromeda quickly put a light green spoon in her hand. Hermione fed him with hesitation unsure whether she did it right or not. After the third spoon - which he ungratefully spat out - Andromeda served their food.

With one hand, Hermione ate her toast and continued feeding Teddy with the other. Andromeda bit in her toast smiling at the boy who reached out his chubby hand to snatch Hermione's toast from her hand.

"You can let him try if you like. He's always curious to try new things," the older witch said fondly.

Hermione broke off a small piece of toast on the edge and gave it to him. He played with it for a second before putting it in his mouth. A bright smile formed on his face and he waved his arms in delight. Andromeda laughed and squeezed his cheek. The boy reached for Hermione's toast once more. She giggled and gave him another piece.

She suddenly turned serious and searched Andromeda's gaze. "He is just so adorable. I regret not visiting both of you before," she spoke with a soft voice.

The older woman smiled slightly before answering. She could see Hermione's regret in her face. "Don't worry, my love. You are here now, it's all that matters," she tried to reassure her and was grateful when Hermione's face lit up.

The young witch smiled slightly and reached for her hand. "Thank you. I'll make up for it," she said and finished her toast before excusing herself to the bathroom for a shower.

Andromeda took the chance to head upstairs to bathe Teddy and change him into fresh clothes. It took the young witch not even fifteen minutes before she entered Teddy's room fully dressed and with two cups of steaming coffee in her hands. She placed a cup next to Andromeda and took a sip of her own. The clothes she wore were obviously Nymphadora's. The black slacks were a little too long on her so she had them turned up slightly to make them fit. She looked beautiful, her face and hair illuminated by the sun coming from outside.

"Would it be fine to work on our potion later?" she asked after another sip. Andromeda nodded and put small blue jeans on Teddy's legs.

The ugly white patch on the wall opposite the door frame caught Hermione's attention. Andromeda attentively followed her gaze.

She looked at it too and sighed before explaining it. "Nymphadora painted it but never got to finish it. I have no idea what she had in mind for the rest. I'm afraid I cannot finish it. I guess it's its fate to stay unfinished." She pushed the t-shirt over Teddy's head and carefully put both his arms through the sleeves.

Hermione stepped closer and touched the wall, brushing her fingertips along one of the flowers. "Would you let me paint it? I have an idea what to make of it. It's depressing like this."

Andromeda's face lit up at the suggestion. "Of course, that's a lovely idea. Don't you have to work?" she questioned and raised an eyebrow.

Hermione frowned a little before answering. "No, I quit."

Andromeda's eyes widened. Even after all the rambling about this dreary job, she had not expected the girl to quit so early. She was glad when Hermione explained her reasoning.

"I couldn't stand working for such corrupt idiots for one more day. That is actually why I wanted to come by yesterday. To tell you the good news first hand," she said with a hint of excitement in her voice before.

Feeling slightly guilty that she had drawn all attention on herself the day before, Andromeda suggested celebrating the good news another time.

"Maybe with some champagne?" Hermione asked.

Andromeda nodded. "What do you want to do now?" She posed the question as carefully as possible. She figured the subject was difficult for Hermione. The younger woman smiled at her obvious reservation.

"Now- Well, now I want to work full-time on that potion. I want to perfect it. Merlin knows I received enough Galleons after the war to live comfortably for the rest of my life. So finding a new job isn't a priority."

Andromeda thought about her words for a while and furrowed her brows. "Isn't that dirty money?" she asked warily as she dressed Teddy in a fresh bright green hoodie. He morphed his hair to electric blue. She smiled and ruffled through it. "I thought you'd like your new clothes," she whispered and kissed his nose, which made him squeal and touch her cheeks.

Hermione watched the cute interaction before answering the question. "This is dirty money through and through. Probably confiscated from death-eater vaults. It's very likely that I am spending the Lestrange's and Malfoys' money right now." Hermione shuddered at the thought. Andromeda chuckled at the thought.

"Doing this I can at least give something back to those hurt by their actions. And there's Teddy, I want to help you raise him and teach him about all the things I'm passionate about." Her eyes wandered from Andromeda to Teddy and she smiled fondly at him.

Andromeda put Teddy on her hip and stepped closer to the young woman. She loved the thought that Hermione would use her old family's money for a good cause.

"You are brilliant, do you know that?" Andromeda stroked through her hair and looked at her. "You look good in those clothes by the way," she whispered and kissed her cheek, close to her mouth, letting her lips linger a bit. When she turned away from the young witch, she had a sheepish smile on her lips.

It took Hermione a moment to find her voice. "Is it just me or is he fussy?" she asked and Andromeda nodded as she let him play with her hair. Hermione suggested playing with Teddy to tire him out before apparating to Grimmauld Place. "As a result, we can work in peace and he doesn't get bored," she said. Both witches sat down in the living room.

"I just love ancient runes," Hermione whispered more to herself than to Andromeda when she grabbed the blueish cube. She placed it in Teddy's lap. By the touch of the boy's hand, the runes lit up and projected their meaning into the air. The boy immediately started playing with it and Hermione was mesmerised for a minute before her eyes caught sight of 'Jane Eyre' still lying on the coffee table.

"Oh, you're reading my favourite novel! I saw it in your bookcase the first time I was here." She saw how Andromeda's face paled.

"I immediately thought it held a lot of meaning to you," she quickly added to defuse the situation.

It took Andromeda a moment to answer. "It does, I read it at least twice a year."

Hermione tried to reach for it. Andromeda stopped her hand midway.

"Did you open it?" she asked warily. Worry was now apparent on her face her gaze never left Hermione.

Hermione looked down to the floor feeling slightly ashamed. She sensed that she reached a boundary once again and quickly wondered how she managed to do this repeatedly. "I did. I shouldn't have. I was just overjoyed seeing it there."

Hermione had seen the dedication. A thousand thoughts crossed Andromeda's mind but the younger witch's words softened her expression. She twisted the book in her hands, opened it, and read the dedication aloud.

"It belonged to a very dear friend of mine. It was her favourite too. She gave it to me shortly before she-" Andromeda stopped to gather herself, she put her face in her hands for a second and took a deep breath. "Before she-" she could not say it aloud. Hermione understood nonetheless and started drawing soothing circles on her back.

"She was trapped in a family not unlike mine. Opposite to me, she was not able to escape their vicious grip. She saved me, you know. She opened my eyes to see the nonsense and injustice our families believed in. I owe her so much, maybe even my life. This book always reminds me to keep going, even when it seems useless." She spoke the words quickly and with a flat voice.

One breath later she stood up and Hermione was just looking at her helplessly. Andromeda was still fidgeting with the book in her hands. "I think our potion is waiting," she said quietly to change the subject. There was no use in dwelling in the past right now and yet she couldn't completely stop the thoughts from invading her mind. She missed Leda her terribly. Her hands were slightly shaking when she put the book back in its place in the bookcase.

She summoned some of Teddy's toys, stored them in her purse and linked arms with Hermione. The young woman had forbidden her to apparate them. "I don't want to ruin Nymphadora's clothes whilst landing in the mud," she said to defend her decision. Andromeda only laughed and with a small 'pop' they arrived in the busy city.

"Maybe we should work in the kitchen? It's a bit more spacious than the old study," Hermione suggested.

The kitchen was much brighter than back in the sixties. Walls, cabinets and floor tiles matched in colour and gave the room a cosy yet tidy atmosphere. Andromeda liked it much better this way. The only items that stood out were the heavily cushioned, worn out chairs. She transfigured one into a crib for Teddy and carefully placed the toddler inside. Thankfully, his eyes closed after mere seconds.

Pots and ingredients floated past her when she climbed the stairs. Swiftly, she helped Hermione levitate the rest of things downstairs. The young woman set up their small lab. Andromeda's dear old booklet lay closed on the counter. When she opened it, her eyes caught on Ted's sloppy writing for a while. She had told him countless times to write more proper. Hermione carefully took it from her hands and placed it on the table in front of them before speaking.

"Why don't you crush the aconite leaves and cut the mint? Meanwhile, I can brew the basic potion. It's fairly easy and shouldn't take long."

Andromeda liked how Hermione took the lead and followed her command. She searched the beige shopping bag for the ingredients and roamed through the cupboards in search of a cutting board. After everything was set up, she began to crush the mint. Her eyes only rarely left Hermione. The young woman prepared the potion with ease, a skill Andromeda did not possess. She still remembered her father's anger when she only barely passed her potion N.E.W.T.'s. Hermione woke her from her daydream by a waving frantically. She soundly cleared her throat and pointed towards the cutting board.

"You should actually cut them," she said with a haughtiness in her voice.

Andromeda was unsure whether the girl was serious or messing with her. She smiled lightly at Hermione's words. "I'm sorry, I'm not focused."

"I can see that." Was Hermione's blunt reply. To Andromeda's surprised no smile graced the younger woman's lips.

The answer confirmed Andromeda that making this potion would mostly be serious business. She started again, telling herself to stay focused. This time she did it right. She proceeded to crush the aconite leaves and handed both ingredients to Hermione who carefully measured them and added them into her cauldron. She gave the spoon to Andromeda for her to stir the potion. In the meantime, she would do some cleaning.

"No, Andromeda! You are stirring in the wrong direction, it clearly says counter-clockwise!"

Andromeda tried to stifle her laugh at the authority in Hermione's voice but failed. She looked back down to the potion. "Looks like I have to start over again," she smirked.

"Do you really think I let you mess up more ingredients?" Hermione asked and raised an eyebrow.

Andromeda stared at her dumbfounded. "Guess not," she said sheepishly and turned around to get rid of the messed up potion.

Hermione stepped closer to her and embraced her from behind, pressing her gently against the table.

"No, guess not," she whispered in her ear. Andromeda shuddered at the hot breath brushing against her neck and turned away slightly to escape the tickling sensation. Hermione noticed her uneasiness.

"You still doubt my intentions towards you," Hermione stated sadly.

"No, no, I do not doubt them. But Hermione, don't you think that this is pure madness?" She hated herself for asking such an unnecessary question. The young woman was old enough to know what she wanted and Andromeda knew she was bright enough to make the right choices.

Hermione turned Andromeda around and pressed her body against the other woman. The table shifted with a squeak at their joint pressure.

"This isn't madness. You want me as much as I want you," she spoke in a low voice, her lips nearly touching Andromeda's throat. The older witch felt her pulse rise at Hermione's proximity. She couldn't think of an answer, her mind blurry because of the girl's scent and touch.

Her silence made the young woman look at her sceptically. "Don't you think for one second that your age or gender matter to me," Hermione spoke with a certainty and proved her words with a soft kiss against Andromeda's throat just below her ear.

A sigh escaped the older witch's lips. All resolve broke. "Yes, yes, I want you," she sighed and clasped at Hermione's shirt. When Hermione trailed her index finger along her throat, she closed her eyes to enjoy the touch.

"You are intriguing, funny and passionate. What more could I want?" A grin spread on her face and she made Andromeda blush. Hermione stepped even closer and traced her jaw with her finger. Andromeda shuddered under the touch and the proximity of their lips.

"I desire you," Hermione husked and closed the distance between them with a soft kiss. Hermione's nails dug into Andromeda's sides when the older witch deepened the kiss. The feeling overwhelmed Andromeda, making her heart stop for a second. She felt the kiss deep down in her stomach. It felt divine and fresh. Like a warm breeze after a cold winter.

"More, please," Hermione stuttered when they broke their close contact to take a breath.

Andromeda happily complied, more gentle this time. She smiled when Hermione moaned against her lips. Andromeda gently pushed Hermione against the countertop and lifted her up to sit on it. She toyed with the hemline of Hermione's shirt and traced her thumb against the exposed skin. The younger witch wrapped her legs around Andromeda's waist and buried one hand in her hair. A sigh escaped Andromeda's lips when Hermione pressed her other hand against the small of her back to pull her closer.

A wolf whistle coming from the door disturbed their newfound closeness.

Andromeda frowned and immediately jumped away from Hermione.

"Harry! I did not expect you home!" Hermione exclaimed her face a beautiful pink and Andromeda tried her best to school her features.

Harry looked from one flushed face to the other. A cheeky grin formed on his face.

"I never thought you two would get along THAT good," he said triumphantly and turned on his heel, leaving the flushed women to themselves.

Both women had to laugh despite the awkwardness of the situation before facing each other again to continue their kissing.

* * *

 **A/N**

Thank you all for your kind reviews, favourites and follows. You are amazing as always!

Sorry for the long wait. I struggled with this chapter. I hope it doesn't show.


	9. Love

"You can go after him," Andromeda whispered, even though she wasn't ready to let Hermione leave just now. Inhaling her scent once again and after another kiss, she reluctantly let her walk. A smile formed on her lips, as she watched the curly-haired witch run after her friend.

She put the kettle on and impatiently drummed her fingers on the counter whilst waiting for the water to boil. Searching through the cabinets, she finally found peppermint tea. She added a bag in a big black mug and sat on top of the counter, waiting for it to infuse properly. A few minutes later, cup in hand, she hopped off the counter and left the kitchen into the hallway. Not before glancing into Teddy's crib, of course. She climbed the stairs, two steps at a time until she reached the third floor. Behind the second door on the left, she found what she was looking for.

The massive family tapestry still hung eerie on the wall, its colours faded so much that the names were only barely readable anymore. She hadn't laid eyes on it ever since she got disowned. When she spotted the black spot that used to be her portrait, she snorted at it disapprovingly. To her surprise, the tapestry had in fact listed Ted as her husband but thankfully hadn't continued from there. Still tenderly tracing his name with her fingertip, her eyes caught on the year of death that was written underneath Bellatrix' portrait.

She wondered, whether her magic was still linked to the tapestry. Curiosity took over. With a swift motion, she placed her mug in the corner on the right and fished for her wand. The spell was still deeply ingrained in her brain.

* * *

 _August – 1970_

 _"I want you to be the next guardian, ma fille," the black-haired witch spoke._

 _"What is a guardian?" Andromeda asked her aunt, as both women were pacing in front of the tapestry in the large drawing room on the third floor._

 _"The guardian is responsible for keeping the family tree proper. Everyone within the family could perform the spells. The guardian, however, is the one who actually performs them." Her eyes left Andromeda's and she faced the tapestry._

 _"Reparo!" The worn out edges of the tapestry repaired themselves._

 _"Recrearo." The colour polished itself, giving the tapestry back its shining forest green colour._

 _"The last spell is the one to blast off undesirable members."_

 _Andromeda gulped. "What's the name of the spell?" she asked cautiously, looking up at Walburga. The older woman twisted her wand in her fingers and slapped it hard into the palm of her other hand. The sound made Andromeda flinch slightly, but she schooled her features._

 _"Recidero," she said without emotion in her voice. She looked at Andromeda sternly for what felt like minutes and Andromeda knew immediately that her aunt knew about Ted. This was a warning. A shiver ran down her spine when her aunt turned and left the room without another word._

 _"Recidero," she whispered into the empty room. She slid down to the floor._

* * *

She briefly wondered what her aunt had felt when she blasted her off the tapestry. Did she mourn the loss of her niece? Sirius could've answered her question but she never dared to ask as she feared the answer too much. She shoved the thought aside and focused on the tapestry again.

"Recidero," she said with a firm voice, her wand trained at her father's portrait. Slowly a scorch mark spread out over his face, eating away every trace of him.

A slight squeal of joy left her lips. It felt good to get rid of him, the warm feeling of victory spread through her body. With a whisk of her wand and a muttered 'Accio', the teacup flew back into her hand. She took another sip, defiantly looking at the black spot.

"There you are," Harry said when he entered the room. "I've been looking all over for you."

Andromeda answered him without lifting her gaze off the tapestry. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wander off."

He waved her apology off and took a long look at the tapestry himself. Suddenly, a smile spread on his lips.

"Did you just blast good old Cygnus off the tapestry?" He seemed amused by her work.

"I did," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Can you reinstall people or get rid of the whole thing? I hate to see all those black spots. You should be on there, and so should Sirius." His voice held quite an amount of guilt and Andromeda gave him a surprised look. Slowly she shook her head.

"No, we shouldn't," she said maybe a bit too firmly when the boy stared down at the floor. "Harry," she started again, much gentler this time. "Both of us didn't belong. As for your question, I was never taught the spell, I'm sorry."

"Could you try the Reductor Curse on it? Maybe it reacts to your magic."

A sigh escaped her lips. "That's a dangerous spell to perform in such a confined space. We have no idea how the house and its magic react to it. The whole thing could explode." Her brows furrowed when the boy frowned. "I will search through my aunt's study, though. Maybe she wrote down the spells in one of her papers." She turned around to leave the room.

"About that, Andie…"

He sounded terribly nervous and Andromeda suddenly felt uneasy, she searched for his gaze but he looked down to the floor again, nervously twisting his fingers.

"Your aunt's study is Hermione's room now."

Closing her eyes, she tried to hide her disappointment. She wanted to search through it and take the memorable stuff back to her own home. Regretting that she never bothered to do that before and without looking at Harry, she stepped away to leave the room.

The wizard didn't waste the moment, grabbed her by her wrist, and pulled her into a hug. The sudden motion made her slightly dizzy and she nearly spilled her tea. She laughed into his neck.

"I have not thrown out her stuff, Andie. It's in the library in a box." He gently stroked her back and added in a voice as low that only she could hear it: "I'm happy for you. You deserve this."

"Thank you, Harry. Your words mean a lot to me." She patted his back when he let go of her.

Upon descending the stairs, she heard her grandson's cries and Hermione's hushed words of comfort.

"He won't stop crying, I tried everything." The girl walked towards her, obviously on the verge of tears.

"That's no reason for you to start crying too, my love," Andromeda said reassuringly and took the crying infant from her girlfriend's arms, shushing him in the process. "Nana's here now, my sweet boy."

The baby kept on weeping, his face red and his eyes swollen. At least the tears weren't flowing anymore.

"He does that sometimes. I haven't figured out what exactly causes these crying fits. He may have inherited it from me, though." She smiled nervously, took Hermione's hand with her free hand and kissed her knuckles. "Try not to worry about it."

Hermione quickly wiped her eyes. Although acting all unfazed about it, Hermione could see the tension rise in Andromeda's demeanour when after nearly quarter an hour, he was still crying. Rocking him on the hip didn't help and changing his nappy neither.

"It does make me feel helpless," Andromeda admitted as she tried to give him watered-down orange juice for the third time. He refused to take even one sip and violently shook his head. Another ten minutes later, his cries stopped as abruptly as they had started.

Andromeda looked at Hermione. "Did I do something special, did you notice anything?" she asked with a hint of desperation in her voice. Hermione shook her head and Andromeda frowned.

"I guess we will never know what the poor boy troubles."

She kissed his forehead and put him back in his makeshift crib in the kitchen. She sat down exhausted and reached for her cup. The tea was now cold but she drank it nonetheless. A smell of burnt herbs hit her nose and she suddenly remembered their potion. She gestured towards the cauldron. "Is it ruined?"

"Oh, shoot!" Hermione exclaimed and jumped from the table, quickly performing some cooling charms to keep the rest of the ingredients from burning. Cursing under her breath, she stirred the ugly, thickened and brownish liquid.

Andromeda stepped closer to look and laughed heartily. "Yes, that is most certainly ruined. I will buy the ingredients again. And next time, no beautiful distractions!" Her voice was firm but her eyes gleamed with mischief. Grabbing her tightly by her waist, Andromeda drew her young lover close and kissed her firmly.

"I can't guarantee for that," Hermione said breathlessly, still savouring the softness of the older woman's lips on her own. "Has someone ever told you how sweet you taste?"

A blush crept on Andromeda's cheeks and she smiled brightly. "I have to disappoint you," she said playfully and kissed Hermione again. "Someone already has."

"Nooo," Hermione cried dramatically with a big smile on her face and claimed Andromeda's mouth yet again.

"Get a room," Harry called from the doorway, his voice annoyed but a grin on his face. "Would you like to stay for dinner, Andie?"

After thinking for a moment, Andromeda shook her head and declined. She gestured towards Teddy. "I have to take him home, otherwise he'll get all fussy and tiring. But I'd love to stay another time."

Freeing the kitchen from their potion stuff didn't take as long as she thought. She rather reluctantly told Hermione goodbye.

* * *

A few days later, Andromeda sat in the tall, untamed grass in her backyard. Enjoying her alone time, she let her thoughts wander to Ted and Nymphadora. It had taken her quite some time to convince her family to let the grass grow high. Hot rays of the early summer sun beamed down on her head and she felt their heat radiating through her old bones, warming her from outside. In her youth, she had always preferred the coldness of her birth month but now, she welcomed the heat. Gently, she touched the grass with her palms, loving the feeling of its roughness and warmth.

When Hermione found her, she was playing with her fidgeting band once again. It sat terribly loose on her finger. "You should make it smaller. I don't want you to lose it because it slips off your hand. Especially not in the tall grass," she said softly and gave the older woman a kiss on her cheek before sitting down.

"I am a witch, love. I could simply call for it should I lose it. But that is not the point." Andromeda looked up at her and gave her half a smile. "The point is-" she hesitated for a moment "-that I should take it off now." She kept tugging at it nervously, sliding it up and down her finger but never removing it.

Hermione stilled her hands, and pushed the ring back down, gently holding it in place. Grey irises looked up from their entwined hands into Hermione's eyes. "You don't have to. At least not because of me. I know you still love him."

Her voice was gentle and the statement made Andromeda think. A small sob escaped her lips once she admitted her love for him to herself. "I guess I still do," she said weakly. "He gave me so much but he is my past. You are my present and future." She leant her head against Hermione's shoulder.

They enjoyed the heat for a bit longer until Andromeda got up and led Hermione back into the house. She enjoyed the feeling of the grass beneath her bare feet. She walked upstairs in front of Hermione and sat down on the edge of her bed. Patting the empty spot next to her, she motioned for Hermione to sit. She opened the drawer of Ted's nightstand and took out a dark blue velvet jewel case.

"He left me his ring. He thought that in case he'd never return I'd at least have his ring." She caressed Ted's ring with her fingertip, looking at it longingly, her heartbreak visible.

Hermione's heart clenched just by looking at her.

With shaking hands, she removed her wedding band, placed it against her lips for a second and closed her eyes. Memories of their life together flooded her mind. Memories of the love they shared and of everything, he had ever given her. After taking two more shaking breaths, she carefully placed the ring on the inside of Ted's. It was all in the past now, she told herself. The two rings fit together perfectly, just like the two of them had. They glowed slightly as they touched, confirming their wedding bond. She swallowed hard. Unable to form words, she simply looked down on her naked hand, tears shining in her eyes. She didn't allow them to fall.

Hermione reached for her hand and kissed the bare spot on her ring finger. "I know it's horribly early in our relationship but… I love you, Andromeda. I really do," she whispered and pressed her forehead against Andromeda's, grabbing her hands. "And seeing you sad like this breaks my heart."

Andromeda pressed her eyes shut and freed her fingers. She stroked Hermione's cheek affectionately with her thumb and finally looked at her. "There is never a wrong moment to express such feelings. I promise you I will feel better someday," she said after a while with a certainty in her voice. They kissed softly. Hermione felt Andromeda's silent tears slide down her cheeks.

"I love you too," the older woman whispered eventually.

After they parted, Andromeda headed for the bathroom to take a hot bath. A bright smile formed on her lips when she thought about the future. Yes, it would be bright and filled with love.

Back at Grimmauld Place, Hermione wrote a bullet point list of things she wanted to do with Andromeda now that they were a couple. Feeling quite frisky and way too daring, she also added some naughty things to the list. It took some courage but she eventually owled the note to Andromeda, wondering yet again, if she had overstepped a boundary.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_

 _Ugh, life has been messy. But now I'm back and I try my best to stay. Thank you so much for your patience!_

 _The end of this chapter suggests that some naughty stuff is to come. I rated this story T and I want to keep it this way. Therefore, I posted the M rated content as a separate one-shot called "Heat"._


	10. Past

Both women woke early, blissful smiles still gracing their lips, memories of their passionate encounter still present. Hermione could not quite grasp her words caused them to spend their first night together as lovers. She snuggled up to Andromeda. Her gleaming grey eyes looked steadily at her. She smiled brightly and Hermione once again adored the fine lines that formed around her mouth. This gorgeous, enthralling, gentle and challenging woman was finally completely hers.

Hermione uncovered their bodies and began to kiss Andromeda's bare stomach, evoking goose bumps all over her skin, making her sigh. Hermione felt her lover's body tense up underneath her fingers when she traced one of the pale silver lines that marked her abdomen.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and showered Andromeda's stomach with kisses. Andromeda stroked through her hair, burying her fingers in it.

"Don't be, it's a beautiful gesture," she answered eventually and pulled her up to kiss her on the lips, appreciating their softness yet again.

She untangled herself from Hermione's embrace and got up to draw back her cream coloured curtains. Light flooded the room, illuminating Hermione's body in between her white sheets. She would treasure the sight forever, she would never regret letting her into her life. Crawling back to bed, she immediately began to touch her again.

* * *

It was already late in the evening, the sky was still light and the air still hot, only a slight breeze granting some relieve. In the background, Tonks' favourite band was playing on the ancient record player.  
They were having dinner to celebrate what would have been Nymphadora's birthday. Despite her absence, it was a joyful evening and Andromeda enjoyed having her loved ones close.

They were sitting in the back yard, Teddy sitting in Andromeda's lap, playing with his stuffed lion (a gift from Hermione). She had her arm securely wrapped around him. Small drops of sweat gleamed on her forehead because of the toddler's body heat. With her free hand, she fanned air into her direction and huffed.

"I decided to serve cocktails instead of cake for dessert. It's too hot to eat anything else." She chuckled at Harry's visible frown as he slowly lowered his head to the table. Ginny and Hermione, on the other hand, squealed in delight at the prospect of sweet, boozy drinks.

Andromeda placed Teddy in Harry's lap to fetch the liquor and some ice.

"But booze is okay then, huh? It's not like it warms you from the inside." Hermione spoke teasingly and stood up to help her. She placed her hand on the other woman's shoulder as they walked towards the small house.

"Booze, dearest, is always ok," Andromeda stated drily and patted Hermione's hand.

She was searching through her liquor cabinet, various bottles floating in the air in front of her, when a soft knock on the door disturbed the silence. Puzzled at who would knock instead of ringing the bell, she looked up at Hermione.

"Are we expecting someone else?" she asked cautiously. Hermione shook her head. Out of habit, she drew her wand before answering the door. Hermione only caught a glimpse of blonde hair before Andromeda shut the door with a loud bang. She stumbled backwards into the hallway, an unreadable expression on her face.

"This can't be," she muttered to herself.

"Who is it?" asked Hermione as she walked towards the door to look. Andromeda stopped her in her tracks, eyes still fixed on the door.

"Wait outside!" she ordered with a firm voice, finally looking at her. "Mix some cocktails. Occupy our guests somehow. There's something I need to do."

Hermione blanched slightly at the straightforwardness but followed her lover's order without questioning her.

Andromeda quickly opened the door and skidded out into the front yard. Thankfully, her sister was still walking towards the gate and hadn't apparated yet.

"What do you want?" she called after her, her tone not as biting as she had wished for it to be.

When the blonde woman turned around, Andromeda had to swallow hard. Gone was the cheerful and spirited younger sister she once loved dearly. She was taller than she was now and her blonde hair wasn't flowing freely anymore, it was tamed into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Small wrinkles on her forehead betrayed her younger sister's otherwise youthful face, signs of a life full of worry. Gone was Narcissa. Gone was the young woman she saved from death. In front of her stood Lady Malfoy. A woman, who was right now carefully hiding every emotion with a blank expression. Her features schooled just as they both had been taught throughout their shared youth. Andromeda remembered the times when she was able to see past this mask of indifference. Narcissa was looking straight back at her and Andromeda desperately wanted to hear the thoughts that crossed her mind. After all, she too had changed throughout the years.

Andromeda suddenly wondered why she wasn't yelling at her bloody coward of a sister, why she didn't tell her to leave and never come back. She had wanted to yell at her for so many times during the past three decades. She opened her mouth but she couldn't swallow the lump in her throat.

Narcissa took a step closer and rummaged through her small snakeskin handbag that hung loosely on her shoulder. She took out a carefully folded piece of parchment and a phial with a shining light blue liquid. She stretched the parchment out for Andromeda to take. Their fingers brushed lightly when Andromeda reached for it. Finally, Narcissa found the courage to speak, her voice as soft as Andromeda remembered it.

"I received this piece of parchment 27 years ago on this date. A small black owl found me at Malfoy Manor and gave it to me."

"Nymphadora's birth announcement," Andromeda whispered more to herself than to Narcissa after unfolding it, her eyes wide with surprise. It was obviously Ted's sloppy script, splashed ink visible all over the paper. He never got the hang out of writing with a quill. She smiled lightly and her heart skipped a beat at how much she loved this man. He had never told her that he had sent one to her sister.

"You've kept it all those years." Her voice was hushed and she looked at Narcissa with a small smile on her lips, squeezing her slender arm lightly.

"I hid it from everyone." Came the instantaneous reply. The blonde looked down to the floor before putting the phial gently into Andromeda's free hand and enclosing the older witch's fingers tightly around it. Despite the heat of the day, her sister's fingers were cold.

"It's time for you to have this. Watch it with someone you love. Please, don't do it alone. Maybe it will change how you feel about me." The slight tremor in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Andromeda.

She turned and apparated before Andromeda could speak another word. Confused, she sat down on the doorstep and took a closer look at the small phial and the string of memory inside of it. What could it possibly contain? She thought about her sister's parting words and wasn't sure how she actually felt about her. After thinking for a while, she got up with a huff and placed the phial on the kitchen table on her way out to her guests.

Hermione immediately noticed her confusion and uneasiness but thankfully chose to address her later, after their guests had left.

"You two are so pretty together," an obviously drunk Ginny slurred. "So much prettier than Harry and I."

She laughed soundly and leant back against Harry's shoulder, he simply rolled his eyes at her. Hermione had to laugh so hard at her friend's statement that she choked on her liquor. After coughing several times she looked up lovingly at Andromeda. The older woman was still standing next to the table, looking at the three friends with a smile on her lips, one hand on her hip the other on the backrest of Harry's chair.

"She's right you know," Hermione spoke. "We truly are prettier but that's mostly because of you." Andromeda had to laugh at the corny exclamation but stroked the younger woman's cheek nonetheless.

"We sure are, my love." She sat down next to her lover and playfully rolled her eyes at Harry before addressing him: "How much did you let these girls drink? Do I still own firewhisky?" Her voice gave away her amusement.

The girls were meanwhile sticking their heads together giggling about some nonsense.

"They downed the liquor like sailors," he said with a wide grin. "I wasn't strong enough to stop them. There's still some left. You sure look like you need a glass." He raised his eyebrow at her and reached for the bottle.

"Salazar, I really do!" Andromeda exclaimed and shoved a glass towards Harry, who poured her some. To Harry's shock, she drained it in one go, grimacing at the burning sensation in her throat.

"Do you need another one?" He asked, the bottle still in hand and uncorked. She denied with a shake of her head.

"Actually, I think someone needs to go to bed."

Hermione laughed heartily when the older witch pointed her finger at her instead of Teddy. Harry and Ginny quickly said their goodbyes before flooing home. After all, the future Mrs Potter was in no state to apparate anymore.

Hermione looked contently at Teddy. He was happily chasing the glimmering green butterflies that she had cast into the air. Andromeda was still playing with her empty glass, her mind seemed miles away. Not even her grandson's giggles interrupted her train of thought.

"That was Narcissa, wasn't it?" It was rather a conclusion than a question.

Andromeda slightly flinched at her sister's name and simply nodded. The parchment in her pocket poked gently against her hip, she ran her fingers over it and stayed silent.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione inquired further studying her face.

Andromeda averted her eyes and took a deep breath before answering: "Not today, it's getting late." She stood and took her grandson from Hermione's grip. She helped the girl up and led her into the house.

Hermione disappeared into the bathroom whilst Andromeda washed and changed Teddy. She lay him down in his bed and gently sang him to sleep. A little later, she heard the bathroom door shut and followed Hermione into her bedroom. The girl was already asleep on Andromeda's side of the bed, breathing soundly, hugging her pillow. She kissed her forehead gently and walked into the bathroom. Looking at her reflection, she traced the faint lines on her face. Her thoughts wandered back to Narcissa and all the things that had changed since their last encounter. It was past eleven when she finally slipped into bed next to Hermione, draping an arm around her waist.

Sleep didn't come and when she was sure Hermione was still fast asleep, she climbed out of bed and went into the kitchen. On her way down, she took their Pensieve out of the locked cupboard in the study.

She twisted the phial in her hands and heard her sister's warning words again. Hesitantly, she uncorked it and put the squirming light blue liquid into the Pensieve. Before she could put her face in, Hermione appeared in the doorway.

"Did she give you a memory?" The young woman asked excitedly and stepped closer to her.

Andromeda nodded and pulled her down on her lap, enjoying the warm body in her arms, inhaling her scent. She gently kissed the spot between her shoulder blades.

"Would you mind watching it with me? She warned me not to do so alone," she whispered softly, her face buried in Hermione's hair.

"And yet, here you are, all stubborn and convinced you could manage alone," Hermione said with a hint of disapproval in her voice as she turned around to look at her. She cupped Andromeda's cheek.

"I don't want to burden you," Andromeda said and kissed her lover's palm.

"You won't."

Andromeda grasped Hermione's hand before both women lost themselves in Narcissa's memory.

* * *

 _Andromeda's heart started hammering hard in her chest when she finally figured out where she was. In front of her stood her deranged older sister in the middle of the battlefield. She had her eyes and wand cast downwards. When Andromeda followed her gaze, she saw her daughter writhing in pain on the cold stone floor._

 _"Oh, how beautiful," the dark witch cooed, stepping closer to Nymphadora. "I can finally finish you off, you dirty bitch," she spat._

 _Nymphadora desperately tried to stand up but to no avail. She opened her mouth to speak but before the words could leave her mouth, another curse hit her square in the chest. She collapsed again, howling in pain. The remains of her cherry wood wand lay splintered across the floor._

 _Andromeda squeezed Hermione's hand so hard it hurt. A mix of anger and desperation flickered across the older witch's face. She wondered why Narcissa would give this to her. Was it to pour more salt into the still delicate wound?_

 _"Bellatrix! Stop!" The firm voice of Narcissa Malfoy echoed through the hall. Andromeda inhaled sharply._

 _"Stay out of this, Cissy. This is a thing between our dearest niece and myself," the dark witch spoke with an annoyance in her voice, her eyes and wand never leaving Nymphadora's body._

 _"Let the girl live, we've already lost. It's over!"_

 _Bellatrix just laughed at the statement._

 _"Don't do this to Meda, I beg of you." This statement had the desired effect and Bellatrix whipped around with her wand outstretched towards her younger sister. A nasty grin spread across her face._

 _"Don't do this to Meda!" Bellatrix mocked with a high-pitched and horribly nasal voice, dramatically waving her hands into the air. She then spoke with a low voice: "I couldn't care less. There's no fun in letting her filthy indiscretion live. You know how much I love to play. "_

 _Bellatrix stepped closer to Narcissa. The younger witch took the chance and positioned herself between her niece and Bellatrix. She gently leant down and touched the girl's warm cheek._

 _"Don't lose the last piece of your humanity." Narcissa tried again, as she blocked yet another one of Bellatrix'_ curses _with her bare hand. At this point, her wand had long been lost. The sisters circled each other. Bellatrix impatiently twirling her wand in her hand, occasionally slapping it against her palm._

 _"I don't desire to be human," Bellatrix said almost dreamfully and Narcissa only barely managed to avoid the deadly green light bursting out of her sister's wand._

 _"Crucio!" she screamed and Narcissa's fell down to the stone floor with a disgusting crunch. She unsuccessfully tried to interfere the curse with her hand. Through clenched teeth, she managed: "Go ahead, murder me. Kill Andromeda. Kill everyone that has ever loved you." Her sister only snarled at the words. Narcissa managed to crawl closer to her niece._

 _"You are loved by so many," she whispered to the barely conscious girl who so painfully resembled her disowned mother._

 _Bellatrix tortured Narcissa further, letting her body twist and turn but she didn't give Bellatrix the satisfaction of crying or screaming._

 _"Oh, Cissy, Cissy, how strong you are today," Bellatrix tutted and with another hex, flung Narcissa's already weakened body away from Nymphadora. Ignoring the pain, she immediately tried to crawl closer again._

 _"No!" Narcissa screamed when the green light eventually hit Nymphadora's chest._

 _All went dark._

* * *

Andromeda stepped away from the Pensieve with an agony that Hermione had never seen on her face before. Legs giving in, Andromeda fell down to the floor, landing on her behind, not bothering to soften her fall with her hands. She stared blankly into the void, her fingernails scratching the cold tiles. Hermione slumped down on her knees, tears stinging in her eyes.

"She wanted only you to see this. Her second good deed in this war." Hermione whispered slowly, holding back the tears and avoiding Andromeda's eyes. She couldn't stand to see her like this.

Andromeda whimpered at the words and shut her eyes before storming off to the bathroom.

Hermione heard her retch from behind the door. She softly knocked and tried to enter, but the older witch had locked the door.

"Andie, please don't shut me out. Not now." Hermione cried outside the bathroom and slid down along the door towards the floor, her legs still not carrying her.

Inside, Andromeda bit her fist hard to stop herself from screaming. She had finally seen what she had always feared the most: Her child had suffered before dying. Her own blood toying with her. She hated Narcissa for showing this to her. What good could have possibly come from it? Anger and sadness laced up her throat, slowly strangling her. It took her a while to calm her breaths and brace herself. She got up from the floor, washed her face, brushed her teeth and left the bathroom. She nearly tumbled over Hermione on her way out. The girl jumped up and hugged her limp body. Her arms felt too heavy to hug her back.

"Can you fetch Narcissa?" Andromeda asked with a raspy voice. She knew that it was much to ask from Hermione. After all, she was severely tortured at Malfoy Manor. However, she desperately wanted to confront her sister.

Hermione swallowed hard, banishing her uneasiness to the back of her mind. "I would, in a heartbeat. But I don't know where she lives. She moved out of Malfoy Manor a year ago."

Suddenly remembering the Daily Prophet article, Andromeda sat down at the kitchen table and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

"If I remember correctly, she moved to Black Hall. Our parent's old estate. I can't apparate without splinching myself right now. I'll go tomorrow." She was unable to suppress the quiver in her voice.

Hermione nodded, although doubting the older witch would be able to apparate the next day. "I'll join you. Wouldn't it be wiser to owl her, though?" Hermione asked and put her arm on her lover's, stroking it lightly.

"No, I want her to be unprepared."

* * *

 **A/N 2**

I really, really wanted Andromeda's happiness to last. She has to go through some more pain, though. It will get better, I promise!


	11. Despair

Heavily edited on August 31, 2017

* * *

Tears soaked into her pillow throughout the night, leaving its lilac cover wet until the next morning. She woke with a gasp and a tension in her chest. Faint memories of the nightmare quickly left her mind. Luckily, most of the tightness in her stomach vanished with the dream. Her nightgown clung to her body, soaked with her hot sweat. Gently she tugged at it to allow her skin some air. She brushed some sweaty hair from her face. A sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes for a moment, resting her head against the wooden headboard.

She felt as if she hadn't slept at all, pictures of Nymphadora dying harassing her mind. She felt as if she had been thrown back in time as if it was 1998 all over again. She had tried to get well so many times. Every time, something came up and pushed her back down to her knees. This was the worst so far. The dulled pain stung again, making it hard for her to breathe. She was tired, so terribly tired.

With her shaking hand, she reached to her left. Relieved, she felt Hermione laying right there, snuggled up close to her, breathing steadily. A small smile flickered across Andromeda's lips. The young woman held her heart firmly in her hands, stopping it from shattering completely.

Her head started spinning the moment she heaved herself out of bed. It was still early in the morning, only the dim light of dawn streaming in through the small gap in her cream coloured curtains. She looked outside, marvelling at the beautiful morning until she heard Hermione stir. She looked horribly tired from soothing her all night long. Andromeda sat down again and gently stroked through Hermione's curls, giving her a small smile.

"Are you sure you still want to do to this, Andie?" She asked tiredly before falling back asleep.

Andromeda nodded at her sleeping girlfriend. She still wanted to confront her sister. When she got up again, she flinched because of her sore back. She staggered towards the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the tub, wincing when its cold surface touched her naked thighs. Unwanted tears tracked down her face and she tried her hardest to stop them. "Dammit!" she exclaimed and furiously wiped her face with her palms.

The hot shower didn't help her clear her mind, even her vision seemed foggy. Back in her bedroom, she fished out a flower-patterned white summer dress from her closet and slipped into it. She gently woke Hermione and proceeded to the next room to wake up Teddy before heading downstairs to prepare breakfast.

The Pensieve still stood on the table when she entered the kitchen, the memory still squirming in it, reminding her yet again that last night's events weren't just a dreadful dream. She sat Teddy down in his highchair. She then extracted the blue string with her wand and released it into the phial before closing it and storing both the Pensieve and memory away.

When Hermione entered the kitchen she was feeding Teddy. Andromeda lifted her eyes to see that the younger witch had her hair tied into a rather messy bun and wore jeans shorts and a simple black t-shirt. Hermione stared back at Andromeda for several moments, taking in her pale features. She looked hollow this morning, drained of life. Hermione shoved the thought aside that this could have been the final blow. That seeing this horrid memory had broken her completely.

"I am so, so sorry that you had to see this. I cannot even begin to imagine what pain this must have caused."

Andromeda heard her words but couldn't react. She slowly put down Teddy's spoon next to his bowl of mashed fruit and yoghurt, an unreadable expression on her face. The toddler grabbed the spoon and shoved another portion into his mouth, giggling at his achievement. Andromeda ignored him and Hermione stared at her again. She cursed the older woman's stubbornness to always deal with her pain alone. Andromeda felt uncomfortable under Hermione's piercing gaze and tried to escape.

"The Potter's are busy today. I will bring Teddy to his great-grandparents." She spoke, completely ignoring everything Hermione had just said. She got up from her chair, wiped Teddy's face with a summoned wet cloth and placed him on her hip, ignoring his cries for more food.

"Let me join you!" Hermione begged and touched her arm milliseconds before Andromeda apparated away. Andromeda's eyes widened in shock when she felt Hermione's hand on her arm. She focused hard on her apparition.

"Don't you dare to do that ever again," Andromeda snapped. "You could have hurt him!" Hermione winced at the harshness of her words.

"Nana angry?" Teddy asked and threw his hands in the air.

"I am not angry anymore, my darling," Andromeda said gently. She smiled lightly but to Hermione's disappointment, it didn't reach her eyes, not even when the boy slung his arms around her neck and gripped her locks with his tiny hands.

"I am sorry," she told the older woman, her voice small.

Andromeda swallowed her anger, telling herself that it wasn't Hermione that made her angry. Hermione was relieved when Andromeda lovingly stroked her arm.

She strode towards an orange coloured house, Hermione trailing closely behind her. After ringing the bell, Andromeda turned around to Hermione and said harshly: "They don't know about us and I'd like to keep it this way." Again, her voice sounded cold and distant and nothing like the warm-hearted and calm woman she came to love. Hermione nodded defeated and stepped back from the front porch, sadness washed over her and she couldn't school her features. She debated leaving to go home but decided against it. Despite the current tension, Andromeda was in no state to be left alone.

Helen's bright smile upon seeing her daughter-in-law died the second she saw her pained expression.

"Whatever happened now, child?" Helen asked incredulously at Andromeda's haggard looks. Andromeda had no nerve to deal with her and simply held out the toddler towards her mother-in-law. Helen set Teddy down on the floor in her hall so that he could crawl inside the house. Andromeda turned on the step to leave but Helen was faster and snatched her by her wrist. Andromeda hissed at the fierce grip and brushed her off. "Just look after Teddy, please," she pleaded. Helen nodded and let her go.

Andromeda guided Hermione away from the house into a small alley. She pressed Hermione gently against the wall and apologised to her, kissing her softly. "Forgive me, my love. You have only ever been kind to me and I hurt you."

Hermione kissed her back. "I forgive you but please don't shut me out again. I need you to let me help you."

Andromeda nodded. Only Hermione's presence was able to calm her screaming heart. She drew soothing circles on her back then took her hand. "Ready to go?" she asked before apparating them both.

Hermione took in her surroundings with surprise, the bright sunlight blinding her eyes. They were standing in Andromeda's backyard. Carefully, Andromeda sat down on the grass, dragging Hermione down with her and lay her head in the younger woman's lap.

"I don't have the guts to go back there," she admitted, playing with their entwined hands, tears flowing silently. She didn't have the courage to look Hermione in the eyes.

Hermione was surprised to hear such a confession. She ran her fingers through her hair and wiped her tears away, just as she had done the previous night. Grey eyes finally looked up into hers. A smile danced on her lips. "We both know that you can do this. We go there and you give her a good telling-off. Then-" she smirked at this "-we disapparate, leaving her dumbfounded and crawling back to you."

Andromeda smiled weakly at Hermione's enthusiasm. If only it were that easy. Calling Black Hall a horrible place was an understatement. The house was filled to the brink with dark magic and hatred against those of lesser blood. Not once had she missed the place she once called home. She was afraid that her visit would cause her even more pain. Hermione gave her an encouraging smile, pulled her up to her feet and kissed her knuckles softly. "You can do this and I will be right there with you," she reassured her once more.

"Let's go, then." Andromeda steeled herself and apparated them.

They landed in a meadow, on their asses, of course. Andromeda looked around exasperated and gave Hermione an apologetic glance. She scrambled to her feet and cleaned their clothes with several spells. Taking in her surroundings, she huffed. The wards hadn't let her apparate close to the mansion.

"Seems like the wards don't like it when I arrive with a Muggle-born in my arms. We have to walk from here. I think it will take about half an hour." She kissed Hermione gently.

Hermione nodded, she didn't mind a short walk on such a sunny day. Andromeda walked a few steps in front of her, determined and fast, her hair illuminated by the sun, bringing out its subtle chestnut tones. Behind her, Hermione inhaled her delicious scent. She smelt of lilies and white musk, mingled with a faint hint of laundry detergent. She enjoyed their small moment of peace and Andromeda's beauty before catching up to her. Moments before she reached Andromeda, her pulse increased and her throat felt tight. She stopped in her tracks. "Andie," she groaned.

The older woman turned around abruptly when she heard her lover's shaking voice. Looking at her worriedly, she touched her neck to feel her pulse. Hermione's cheeks were void of all colour.

"We must have crossed the stronger wards," she said and suddenly felt very aware of the slight tingling of magic on her skin. "They have been set up to keep 'lesser' people away from the mansion." She rolled her eyes slightly and stroked Hermione's cheek. "They are messing with you. Just try to stay focused. It's going to be fine. I am right here." She drew Hermione close to her body and draped her arm around her shoulders.

After another ten minutes, the outlines of the mansion became visible. She held onto Hermione even tighter, stopping their stride. Black Hall stood elevated on top of a hill, vast and dark, two towers pointing towards the sky. From afar it looked menacingly but the desolate state of the once posh estate became visible on the second glance. Pieces of stone were missing from the outer wall, some windows were smashed, ivy was creeping up the walls. The surrounding garden was a mess, unkempt and overgrown with weeds of all sorts. Andromeda spotted the fountain that she had loved many summers ago. It was now empty and the white marble had lost its shine. Unwanted melancholia flooded her body when she remembered the good days that she had spent at this godforsaken place.

Hermione felt her tense up. "Is everything alright?"

"It's overwhelming. Look at it, it's a ruin, just like the Noble House of Black." She snorted lightly at the misery and gathered herself before walking again. Soon they arrived in front of high, rusty gates.

Andromeda grudgingly eyed the dagger and small silver bowl that flowed in front of her. It felt like no time at all had passed since she had last spoken the words to enter the premises. " _Toujours pur, toujours noir, laisse-moi entrer, ouvre-toi pour moi._ "

She cut her palm but the blade was sharper than she thought and she accidentally cut herself too deep. She whimpered in pain when the crimson liquid poured into the bowl. Almost immediately, the Black family coat of arms appeared in front of her and the gates opened. The cut on her hand closed without leaving a mark. She exhaled slowly, glad that the wards still recognised her blood. Her family had indeed been too lazy to cast her out properly. She faced Hermione again, kissing her gently, putting everything she felt for the young witch into the kiss. She cupped her cheek and looked lovingly at her.

A shiver ran down Hermione's spine when the look of love changed into a look of anxiety and hesitation.

"You have to wait here, my love. It's not safe for you to follow me. The wards will want to harm you. Try to stay strong but when you feel too uneasy, please apparate home. I promise you I'll come back unharmed." She caressed her cheek softly. "I love you."

"You sound like you are telling me goodbye." Hermione sounded a bit unhinged before she added: "I know you are courageous, but please, don't play heroine today." Hermione gave her a weak smile when she approached the entrance. Hermione reached out to touch her once more. The invisible shield surrounding the property promptly burned her fingertips.

Andromeda turned around at her outcry of pain. "Oh, how I hate it. Blood-wards, what a stupid invention," she cursed under her breath. "Please, my love. Stay back this time," she said gently and healed her lover's burnt fingertips with her hand, kissing them softly afterwards.

Andromeda approached the house of her childhood with a speedy pace. She wanted to get this over with quickly. She blanked out all of her memories, not letting them distract her. She was already halfway up the stairs when the front door opened abruptly. The red light hit her chest with full force. She stood no chance to dodge the curse.

Hermione watched in horror as Andromeda fell down the stairs backwards.

* * *

 **A/N**

Some more pain to go through. I'm sorry but it's necessary for her to heal.  
Thank you for all the reviews and follows. It truly means a lot to me.  
Translation: Toujours pur, toujours noir, laisse-moi entrer, ouvre-toi pour moi - Always pure, always black, let me enter, open up for me.


	12. Blood

Her pulse rushed in her ears as she fell. Bursts of pink flashed before her eyes. She squeezed them shut, awaiting the inevitable impact. To her surprise, some force caught her mid-air and lowered her gently to the ground. The blonde hair of Lady Malfoy appeared on top of the stairs.

"Are you bloody insane? _Imbécile_!" Andromeda yelled. Anger rose in her chest as she watched Narcissa run down the stairs towards her. "I thought you were an intruder," Narcissa rushed out, bending down to help her up.

Andromeda brushed off her sister's helping hands and hissed at her stupidity. She stood up effortlessly, brushing some dirt off her dress as she faced her sister.

"Change those blasted wards so Hermione can enter. Immediately." She growled and, Narcissa following suit, hurried towards the rusty gate. After waving her wand in complicated movements and muttering several French incantations, the gate swung open, and Hermione was able to enter. Hermione let out the breath she wasn't aware she was still holding.

"You know why I am here. How dare you?" Andromeda shouted her face red with anger. Hermione flinched at her sudden outburst. Andromeda held her wand close to Narcissa's heart, pushing it against the bone between her breasts. Narcissa tried to step away from her sister and stalked backwards towards the house. Andromeda followed suit, threatening her further as they entered the hallway.

"You have no idea what you have done," she spoke, her voice low and cutting.

Andromeda felt her hands shake. When the word left her mouth and the dark curse rushed through her wand, she couldn't believe her own ears: "Crucio!" Her eyes widened in shock when the disgusting red light hit Narcissa's left arm and dragged her down to her knees. Upon hearing her sister's pleas, she immediately broke the spell. Looking down on her left hand, she felt disgusted by herself for casting an Unforgivable. She would not become Bella.

Focused on herself, she didn't see Narcissa's face harden in anger. "I never thought you had it still in you to cast an Unforgivable, Andie," the Malfoy Matriarch spat and silently cast a curse at Andromeda, slashing open her thigh. The searing pain made Andromeda dizzy for a moment. Hot blood seeped down her leg. She clasped at the gash with her hand and clenched her teeth.

Still horrified by the scene that had just unfolded in front of her eyes, Hermione tried to disarm Andromeda. The other witch blocked the spell with ease, her wand still pointed at her younger sister. "You really shouldn't have shown me your memory, Cissy," she said and attacked Narcissa again to inflict some physical pain as a revenge to her mental suffering

Panic rose in Hermione's chest as she watched the sisters duel. Hermione felt the magic crackling in the air and stepped away from the sisters. The two daughters of Black were too powerful for her to take down. She was sure they could perform most of the curses even without a wand.

" _Expelliarmus_!" a male voice shouted after another curse had barely missed Andromeda. Before she could defend herself, Draco caught Andromeda's wand with his left hand, twisting it in his fingers. To Hermione's relief Narcissa lowered her wand immediately.

Still surprised, Andromeda shot a stinging hex at him and glared, anger still bubbling in her belly.

He hissed at the unexpected pain. Schooling his features, he slowly descended the stairs towards his disowned and completely dishevelled aunt, reaching out his hand to her. "Andromeda. Pleasure to finally meet you," he said curtly. Andromeda looked him up and down, disgusted by his resemblance to Lucius. She wrinkled her nose and didn't bother to greet him back.

Hermione rolled her eyes at her childish antics and faced Draco. "Malfoy, my saviour," she exclaimed and approached him.

"Granger," he greeted her, obviously surprised that she hadn't hexed him. He pressed Andromeda's ebony wand into her palm. It was warm and tingled nicely in her grip. She was sure she could cast effortlessly with it. Andromeda looked at her pleadingly; she wasn't done with her sister. To her disapproval, Hermione gave her a glare, shook her head and put the wand in her sleeve.

For safety reasons, Draco also disarmed his mother, pocketing her impeccably decorated ebony wand. She too, shot a stinging hex in his direction but this time he dodged it, shooting one back at her. She jumped slightly when it hit her. Andromeda chuckled darkly at her pain. Narcissa looked ragged; her emerald robes teared up from one of Andromeda's curses and her face worn from worry.

"Why don't we all act civil now. Maybe over a cup of tea?" Draco suggested, giving both his aunt and mother a stern look. He led the way further into the dark hallway. Narcissa and Hermione followed him.

Andromeda stayed behind. The darkness within the walls seemed to swallow her. She touched her cheek where her father had slapped her all those years ago then put her hand over the ugly scar on her forearm.

Behind Hermione, Narcissa gasped when she spotted the crooked letters on her sister's arm. "Meda," she whispered softly.

Andromeda's eyes shot up at her, piercing her with her gaze. She looked angry and yet so small compared to the vastness that was the Black Hall entrance hall.

"It took me six months to stop crying myself to sleep. Another six months to banish the tears to once a week. The year after passed slowly, the pain still raw and defeating. A month ago, I took off my wedding band. It took me over two years to mend my broken heart but I was finally ready to face the future." Her gaze quickly wandered to Hermione, giving her a loving glance before focussing on her sister again

"You destroyed all of it with one single action." Andromeda's voice was merely above a whisper, her face hard but not angry anymore. She took a step towards Narcissa.

Hermione looked at Narcissa, the blonde instinctively stepped back into Draco's waiting arms. A stray tear ran down her cheek. Andromeda saw Draco's arm around her sister's slender waist. Jealousy rose in her throat at the display of affection.

"I left this house because I had fallen in love. With a man of lesser blood, as you called it. Did you know his blood was as red as the one flowing down my leg?" She dramatically smeared it over her dress, swaying slightly from the blood loss. With a flick of her hand, she stopped Hermione from approaching her. Her eyes followed her young love as her hex accidentally sent her down to the floor. Schooling her features, she trained her eyes on her sister again.

"My touch has always been kind towards you. Never did I raise my voice to hurt you. Tell me, Narcissa-" She approached her sister, unsteady, but fierce."-what did I do to you to deserve watching my only child die?" After she had finished the sentence, her face lost its entire colour, she grimaced in pain and Hermione jumped up to keep her from falling.

In front of her son, Narcissa sunk down to the marble floor, muffling her cry with her hand. Draco wasn't able to catch her before her knees hit the hard ground. He crouched down next to her in a futile attempt to put her back on her feet.

She crawled into Andromeda's direction. "I didn't mean to show-" her voice broke and she bowed her head to look down to the floor. "I only wanted to give you comfort, to let you know that she wasn't alone. Please believe me, I didn't mean to show you how she died. I could never hurt you like this. Not you, Andromeda." She knelt in front of Andromeda now, watery blue eyes looking up at her sister's steely gaze.

Andromeda felt her heart freeze in her chest. She swallowed the tears and anger. She clenched her jaw and pressed her hand against her heart. "Are you telling me that all this despair, _toute cette tristesse_ I'm feeling right now, is because you didn't extract the memory correctly?"

Narcissa simply nodded and mouthed an apology, unable to speak. She touched Andromeda's arm lightly, the older witch flinched at the contact.

"I have nothing more to say to you," she spoke coldly and turned on the spot, leaving the Malfoy Matriarch sobbing on the floor. She couldn't bear to look at her for one more moment. She heard Hermione curse. If it hadn't been for the younger witch, Andromeda would have fallen down the steep stairs yet again.

Hermione held the trembling woman close to her side, nearly carrying her down the steps. She let her go the second they arrived on the gravel footpath, her dead weight too heavy for Hermione to support anymore. Without her help, Andromeda tumbled down to the ground on her knees, slamming her hands hard down onto the gravel. She banged her fists down twice more, yelling French obscenities. Hermione was only able to understand the word 'merde'.

"I hate it!" she yelled, still fully enraged. Hermione just looked at her sympathetically and simply placed a hand on her shoulder. She gasped soundly when she spotted two blonde heads approach them. Draco supporting his mother the same way Hermione had supported Andromeda. The door hadn't been shut, she realised. They had heard Andromeda's outrage.

"Andromeda," Narcissa whimpered. "Please forgive me. _Je t'aime, ma sœur_." The declaration of love echoed in Andromeda's head but it did nothing to soothe her. She sat down on the gravel.

"I will never be able to forget these images, Narcissa." Andromeda spoke softly, burying her face in her hands, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. "You've ruined me."

Hermione felt sick and Narcissa gasped at her sister's words, horror clearly visible on her face. She quickly wiped her eyes, smudging her dark makeup.

" _Regarde-moi, s'il te plaît_ ," she whispered softly and sunk down next to her older sister.

Andromeda cautiously looked into her sister's stormy blue eyes. Narcissa brushed her fingertip against her jaw and caught a tear with her thumb. She hated how her sister's touch soothed her.

"I was so heartbroken and angry when you left. I held that grudge for so many years but I can't anymore, Andromeda. I cannot go through life knowing that you could be a part of it. You were my best friend for so many years." She touched Andromeda's chest. Andromeda felt her heart beat rise at the familiarity of the touch. "I never intended to hurt you."

Andromeda tried to deny it but in the end, she knew her sister spoke the truth. She closed her eyes, grabbed her sister's wrist with her hand and pressed her palm firmer onto her heart. "Obliviate me. _S'il te plaît, ma fleur_ , let me forget," she pleaded without opening her eyes.

Draco and Hermione both drew a sharp breath at her words. Hermione shivered and despite the heat of the day, she suddenly felt cold. Narcissa denied Andromeda's wish with a firm shake of her head. She touched her jaw again, forcing her to look at her.

"You know I can't. The memory is too strongly entangled with your emotions. Your mind would forever try to find the missing piece and eventually splinter." Her soft pools of grey filled with tears again. Narcissa wiped the falling tears away gently and grabbed both her hands. "I wish I could make you forget, _ma céleste_."

The world around her began to spin. Faint voices filled her head but she wasn't able to open her eyes anymore.

She felt Hermione kneel down next to her, her lovely scent identifying her. Her nephew knelt down on her other side and shoved her skirt up her thigh. She felt his big hands and rough fingers examining the slash on her thigh. The pain of his touch made her wince.

He mumbled something to his mother that she couldn't understand.

She embraced the darkness that invaded her mind when she lost consciousness.

* * *

"Slow down, dearest." She heard Hermione whisper as she tried to lift her head. "You've slept for a whole day. You need to take it easy."

Hermione helped her to sit up and she was finally able to take in her surroundings. With horror, Andromeda realised that she was in her childhood bedroom. She was lying beneath the grey silken sheets she had bought herself for her sixteenth birthday and wore a nightgown from her youth. The room looked as if no time had passed at all. Her little desk stood in front of the window, inkwell and quill still sitting on top, parchment spread open, ready to be used. She thought it even smelled the same, plus a little mould, maybe. She ran her fingers along the soft fabric of the sheets when she suddenly remembered her grandson.

"Teddy!" she exclaimed. Hermione gently pressed her down to the mattress again and hushed her.

"I paid your in-laws a visit. They've agreed to look after him for the next few days."

"Oh, Helen must have been delighted," Andromeda said sarcastically and laid her head against Hermione's side, stroking her lightly. Hermione slung her arm around her shoulders.

"She's just worried about you."

She saw the fear in Hermione's exhausted face and felt the urge to run away. Her pure-blood upbringing taught her to always shield and never share her emotions. She struggled to loose these chains. She draped an arm around her lover's waist and kissed her ribs.

"It's hard for me to share my feelings, Mione." She took a deep breath. "Let me assure you that I will survive this blow. It's hard right now but the pain will cease." Her voice didn't sound as determined as she wanted to but she knew Hermione understand.

"I know. You are a true fighter," Hermione said and kissed her head.

"That I am," Andromeda retorted with a small smile and sat up straighter to be on eye level with her lover. Her head hammered because of the movement and she grimaced before grasping Hermione's hand, squeezing it lightly. She took a breath before she asked, "how are you feeling, my love?" She watched how sadness washed over Hermione's features. She put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her close so that the young woman was laying her head against her shoulder. Andromeda immediately felt hot tears fall onto her bare shoulder.

"I miss all of them so much." Her voice was thick with tears and she grabbed onto Andromeda's nightgown with her hand. "And it hurts me to see you like this." She was fully crying now, sobbing into her shoulder.

An ugly uneasiness spread through her body and Andromeda had to swallow hard. She pulled Hermione as close as possible and stroked her hair.

"I won't break, Hermione. I promise you. Try not to hurt for me." Andromeda sighed, of course the girl hurt for her just as much as she would hurt for her were the roles reversed. She lifted her head gently and wiped the tears, kissing her softly. "Both our pain will stop."

After a while, Hermione's breathing calmed and she fell asleep. Andromeda stroked her hair for several more minutes before she slowly made her way out of the bed. She groaned once she stood, unaware that it was possible for her body to ache like that. At least someone had more or less healed her thigh. She wrote a note for Hermione before she left the room.

 _'You are on the second floor. The library is the fourth floor (yes, the whole floor).  
I will join you there.'_

* * *

 **A/N**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was certainly fun to write. Thanks to Adrien42 who helped me improve it.

Translations:  
imbécile = idiot / merde = shit / toute cette tristesse = all this sadness / Je t'aime, ma sœur = I love you my sister / Regarde-moi, s'il te plaît = Look at me, please / S'il te plaît, ma fleur = please, my flower / ma celeste = my heavenly


	13. Forgiveness

Being back at Black Hall evoked a wave of conflicting emotions in Andromeda. She needed to clear her mind and she knew just the place to do that. She slipped out of her old room and shut the door carefully.

Her footsteps echoed against the marble walls as she moved through the hallway. Whispers followed her and she soon realised her ancestors in the portraits had gathered to gawk at her, hissing and muttering insults as she passed by. Andromeda flinched at their words but didn't bother to silence them, but rather pulled her dressing gown tighter around herself and continued her stride until she eventually stood in front of her parent's old quarters.

She couldn't resist the urge to go inside. After taking a deep breath, she disabled the wards and entered. The room still looked the same save that now everything was coated with a fine layer of dust. She brushed some dirt off the settee in front of her mother's vanity before sitting down. She opened the first drawer to rummage through the perfumes. After finding her mother's favourite, she carefully spritzed it into the air and inhaled the familiar fragrance. The scent brought back many memories, some good and others bad. She slung her arms around herself, closed her eyes and allowed herself to miss her mother for a moment. It was her way to finally say goodbye to the woman who once meant the world to her. She inhaled her scent once more before leaving the room, refusing to look back.

Once outside she continued her stride until she arrived at the bottom of the spiral staircase that led up to the observatory. In her youth the tower had been her favourite place to contemplate.

Swiftly, she climbed the stairs and arrived on top breathing heavily while she had to lean against the wall for a moment to calm her breaths. At her command, the shutters, protecting the dome-shaped glass roof opened and light flooded the room. Looking around she realised the brass telescope still rested in place. It was placed in the middle of the room and in contrast to the rest of the room, free from dust. She brushed her fingers along its smooth surface and it came to life under her touch, vibrating slightly and adjusting to her height. Regretting that it wasn't night so she couldn't take a look, she walked by and stepped onto the small balcony situated behind it.

As soon as she stepped out a cold, refreshing wind cut through the dizzying summer heat. She took a few breaths of fresh air, enjoying its calming qualities, but couldn't help but to note the heavy humidity tainting it. Clinging to the railing, she looked up to the sky. Dark clouds were gathering above her head and the air was buzzing with the energy of a forming thunderstorm. Anxiously awaiting for the first lightning strike, she refused to avert her eyes from the horizon.

Her moment of solitude ended earlier than she had intended.

"I figured I'd find you here," Narcissa started calmly as she stepped on the balcony. "Your favourite hiding place."

She winced at the intrusion and took a slow breath before turning around. She leaned back against the rusty railing, finally facing her sister. Narcissa moved next to her, and clasped the railing tightly as she glanced up at the sky. Andromeda watched her, wary and unsure how to engage. Her sister looked approachable, with her blonde hair falling loosely down her back, no makeup, and dressed in only a simple grey gown, but she had no idea where to begin. It was a few minutes before her sister made a move to speak, and when she did, she seemed to be deep in thought. "It feels good to have you close again."

Andromeda gave her a small smile and put her hand over her sister's, squeezing it lightly. They stood like that for a while, both lost to their minds when Andromeda found her voice again.

"Why'd you do it?" she asked, looking up to Narcissa. "Why did you risk your life to save her? Nymphadora."

She answered without hesitation. "You did the same for Draco, when no one else was willing to," Narcissa spoke sadly and held Andromeda's wrist in a fierce grip.

Andromeda drew a sharp breath and looked at her with wide eyes as a knot formed in her stomach. The rumours were true. Her healer colleagues had indeed refused to help Narcissa give birth. She opened her mouth to speak but Narcissa interrupted her.

"And the thought of you losing your child-," she swallowed hard and took a deep breath "-I couldn't bear it." Narcissa let go of her sister's wrist to wipe the tears away before finally facing Andromeda.

Andromeda had a hard time holding back her own tears. "Thank you," she eventually managed and Narcissa nodded. They turned around to look at the sky again and wiped their tears in silence. Andromeda felt her sister's gaze on her and wasn't surprised when she broke the comfortable quiet again.

"How are you, Andie?" Narcissa asked, sincere in tone. Andromeda lifted the hem of her dressing gown to show her sister her newest scar.

"It needs some more healing but it doesn't hurt anymore," she stated and trailed her fingers along the lengthy scar before letting the hem fall down again.

Narcissa looked at her worriedly. " _Et ton_ _coeur?_ " she asked softly.

Andromeda snorted at the question. "Bruised and battered but beating."

Her answer seemed to upset Narcissa. "Andromeda, I-" she tried to speak, her voice small and trembling slightly.

Andromeda put her finger on her sister's lips to stop her. "It is not your fault they're dead."

Narcissa seemed surprised at her answer, but otherwise unfazed. "I fought on the wrong side for so many years. How can you forgive me so easily?"

"Because I'm tired, Cissy. I won't. No, I can't waste the rest of my life being bitter, sad, and unendingly miserable. Forgiveness is the first step."

Narcissa nodded and gave her a small smile. "Ms Granger feels strongly for you, doesn't she? She didn't leave your side yesterday. Not even to eat." She took her sister's hand again.

A smile spread across Andromeda's face and she chuckled lightly at her sister's spot on observation. "She does and I love her just as strongly. Someone of 'lesser blood' yet again, though," she spoke to provoke her sister.

"Stop it, Andromeda! I couldn't care less about blood purity," Narcissa said her voice slightly raised.

Andromeda raised an eyebrow and gave her a questioning look. Her sister may have never been as convinced as Bellatrix, but she openly refused to see Ted as an equal.

She answered before Andromeda could ask. "I've seen the devastation my beliefs have caused, even if I never took action myself. The pain lingering in your eyes is evidence enough and it makes me hate its very existence." Narcissa put her arm around Andromeda's shoulders and the older witch leant against her.

They both flinched when the first lightning struck. With the thunder came the heavy rain and Narcissa immediately hurried inside. Andromeda shivered but decided to enjoy the cold sensation for a little longer. She was drenched when she finally chose to go inside. Her sister was waiting for her, lips pursed, and immediately cast a drying charm before she could ruin the expensive wooden floor.

They descended the stairs down to the library when Andromeda spotted the staircase leading up to the second tower. She stopped in her tracks, searching for her sister's gaze.

* * *

 _August 1971_

 _Andromeda found Narcissa on top of the tower. Their parents were taking part in some dreary ministry celebration and Bellatrix went with them. The pair despised such events and refused to go, instead enjoying calm evenings at home._

 _Narcissa had snuck a bottle of scotch from her father's cabinet on her way up and sat with her back against the railing._

 _"You are going to leave, aren't you?" Narcissa's voice was sharp and stabbed Andromeda right into her heart._

 _Andromeda sat down next to her and snatched the bottle from her sister, taking a huge gulp. She slowly took her sister's cold hand and looked into her blue eyes._

 _"I am."_

 _Narcissa jumped up at the confession and stormed off. Andromeda was close behind her and caught up to her in the middle of the spiral staircase._

 _Andromeda slung her arm around her sister's shoulders from behind and whispered into her ear: "You know it shreds my heart to pieces to leave you, Narcissa. But I love him so, so much. Please try to understand."_

 _Narcissa turned around in her embrace and hugged Andromeda back. "They won't allow me to ever talk to you again," she said sadly and Andromeda stroked her cheek._

 _"I know ma fleur. I'm sorry."_

* * *

The sisters were holding hands when they entered the library. Andromeda spotted Hermione on one of the sofas in the small lounge towards the front. Unsurprisingly, she had her nose buried in a book.

The vastness of the library still awed her. The whole floor was distinctively Slytherin with dark, high ebony shelves and huge silver plaques to indicate the content of each corridor. The family motto ' _Toujours_ pur' was written in bold letters beneath the vast coat of arms that was drawn on the high ceiling. The chandeliers and silver candleholders scattered about were adorned with shiny emeralds and diamonds in a display of the wealth of the Black family.

The young woman looked up when she heard the witches approach, prompting Andromeda to sit down opposite her on the smooth, emerald couch.

Hermione smiled at her. "This library… Merlin Andie, I love it here," she exclaimed and gestured to the huge pile of large books on the small table. "So many hidden tomes, most of which, if I'm correct, the world hasn't seen in centuries."

Andromeda nodded at that. "This has always been the main Black Family estate. You can find our whole history in here." The word 'our' flowed easily over her tongue and for the first time in many years, she felt truly connected to her Black heritage again.

Andromeda gestured for Narcissa to sit down. Hermione looked uneasy as she approached them, but Andromeda gave her a reassuring smile.

"I see you have a liking for light literature," Narcissa spoke to break the tension. She stretched out her hand towards Hermione. The young witch immediately stood and shook it lightly. "It's nice to finally meet you under pleasant circumstances, Hermione," Narcissa spoke softly.

"Likewise," Hermione said with a slight quiver in her voice before sitting down again. "Thank you for sending me food yesterday."

Andromeda was surprised to hear the two witches hadn't crossed path yesterday. She realised it would probably take some time for the two of them to trust each other. She motioned for Narcissa to sit again when Draco's voice echoed through the library.

"Granger, I may have found something!"

Both sisters looked at the young witch, puzzled. Hermione jumped up from her seat, excused herself and walked towards Draco's voice.

Narcissa sat down next to Andromeda and the sisters looked at each other for a moment unsure what just happened when they heard Hermione's squeal of joy.

The young witch returned with a book in her arms. Draco trailed closely behind her and, unsuccessfully, tried to take it from her. The witch put it on the small table and Draco slapped Hermione's hands away from the cover when she tried to open it. He sat down next to her and huffed.

"Stop!" He snapped and snatched it away from her grip. Hermione blanched and looked at Andromeda.

"Those books are cursed. Only those considered 'worthy' are able to open them safely," Andromeda said and gave her nephew a little nod. "They'd even hurt me with my filthy, traitorous blood," she spoke and chuckled lightly.

"You Mu-, Gryffindor's, really. You have no idea about the real dangers of magic," Draco muttered under his breath before opening the book.

Hermione jumped at that, fully aware that he had intended to call her a Mudblood. "Don't you dare go there, Malfoy!" She got up and Draco scooted away from her, not willing to risk another broken nose.

Andromeda jumped at the sudden escalation, put her hand on Hermione's shoulder to calm her and gave her a stern look.

Hermione sat down on the armchair. "At least I didn't grow up in a house where everything was cursed to kill me," she fumed.

All eyes focused on Draco again. He hissed when the book tried to bite him. After a few spells he managed to open it and immediately searched the register. With a flick of his wand, the desired page opened.

'Cursed Scars'

The title piqued Andromeda's interest. She shuddered when she saw Bellatrix' handwritten notes on the edges of the pages. "That's disgusting magic," she said after a while. Her frown grew bigger with each line. She remembered what book this was. After they had all read the chapter, she felt Narcissa's gaze on her.

Her younger sister snatched Andromeda's wrist, squeezing the scar. Andromeda hissed at the harshness and her eyes snapped up to her sister. Draco and Hermione looked at them intently.

"You managed to heal it," Narcissa said sternly and Andromeda nodded. "You also healed her's, didn't you?" Andromeda paled slightly. She had an inkling what her sister was on about. Narcissa let go of Andromeda's arm and took a deep breath. "This could make the counter spell ineffective."

Andromeda searched Hermione's gaze and wasn't surprised to find her confused. She immediately regretted that she only told her half of the truth.

"Did you know that a counter spell existed?" The young witch asked with a sharp voice. She felt the anger rise in her chest but stayed silent to let the older witch talk.

Andromeda desperately wanted to shake her head. "I thought there may be. I knew this book existed but I couldn't use it anymore as this is the only copy. I brewed the potion because it was the only possibility I had left. Please believe me, I never thought I'd lay hands on this book again," she answered truthfully and walked towards Hermione to take her hands. She wasn't surprised when Hermione refused to be touched.

Hermione had trusted Andromeda completely and she couldn't understand why she didn't tell her about the book. Her enthusiasm of brewing the potion faded. She shook her head and tried to calm herself when a fresh wave of anger and disappointment surfaced.

"I trusted you and you lied. You wasted both our time with a useless potion. I don't understand why you did that," she lashed out. She needed some space to breathe and rushed past Andromeda who was looking at her with a surprised expression.

Hermione's harsh accusation stung and Andromeda was perplexed for a moment. "Mione," she finally whispered and lifted her hand to stop her but the younger witch was already out of reach. After hearing her apparate she closed her eyes and schooled her features.

"Let me take a look at this book again, please," she said with a small tremor in her voice, not yet able to grasp what just happened.


	14. Healing

Andromeda fell back onto the couch. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm her pounding heart and hold the tears. Every fibre of her being wanted to go after Hermione, but she knew the young woman needed some time to calm down and gather her own thoughts.

Narcissa shoved the book into her direction, before moving to sit closer to Andromeda and provided a shoulder for her to lean on. The older witch read the chapter again, her fingers shaking every time she turned a page. Halfway through the chapter Narcissa grabbed her hands and removed them from the book.

Warily, Andromeda looked up at her younger sister. "It's not any use, is it?" she asked. "Her scar can't be healed." She gazed over the page again. There were three steps necessary to break the curse, the most important being the presence of the dagger Bellatrix had used. Devastated, she looked up from the book only to be meant with silence.

Draco, who had been silent since Hermione had left, took this as a chance to speak up. "Actually, aunt," he said softly as he got up from his chair. "Father kept the dagger Bellatrix used on Hermione. I can get if you wish."

Andromeda looked at him with a surprised expression and felt somewhat relieved. "That would be wonderful, thank you Draco," she spoke and he walked towards the door.

"Draco, wait," Narcissa said in a stern voice, stopping his stride. "Allow Andromeda and me some privacy but don't head to Malfoy Manor yet. I'll talk to you later." He complied and left the library without another word.

Narcissa looked in Andromeda's eyes for a moment before averting her gaze down to the scar on her arm. She began to run her fingertip over the bulgy letters. "I know those scars are a burden and a constant reminder of everything she's taken from you." She sighed and looked up into Andromeda's eyes again. "But is it worth risking your life in an attempt to remove it? Is it worth risking her life?"

Andromeda wasn't sure of the answer and responded by pushing the matter further. "Do you remember what she cut me with?"

Narcissa sighed in response. "It was mother's small knife. The one she always carried around with her. Bellatrix took it from her after Fa… After Cygnus dragged you across the hall."

"Do you still have it?" Andromeda pressed and Narcissa nodded with a worried look in her eyes.

"If you insist I'll give it to you and ask Draco to fetch the dagger but, please, talk to Hermione first."

Andromeda placated her sister... "I'll talk to her."

She excused herself to go gather her things and Narcissa followed her back into her childhood bedroom. The blonde stood in the doorway and watched Andromeda pack some of her old books and dresses into a bag. "This takes me back," she said warily.

Andromeda sensed her dread and gave her a small smile. "This time I won't leave for good, Cissy," she reassured her little sister and kissed her cheek.

"I wouldn't allow it," Narcissa answered and accompanied her into the garden from where Andromeda could apparate.

She took a breath and turned to say goodbye, but her sister beat her to it. "Andie, promise me you'll be careful. I only just got you back, I can't lose you again."

She nodded. "I will."

It was still pouring when Andromeda walked towards her in-laws. She dreaded this confrontation as much as she dreaded the talk with Hermione but couldn't help but to look forward to seeing her grandson again. Guilt pitted in her stomach. After Nymphadora's death she had sworn to always put him first, no matter what came up. During the last few weeks she had neglected him and it seemed to crush her now.

Richard opened the door and greeted her before stepping aside to let her enter. She cast a drying spell on herself and walked through the hallways towards the sitting room where she heard Helen's voice. The older woman was sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing with Teddy. The boy looked up from his toys when he saw her approach.

"Nana!" he exclaimed and rushed towards her to hug her legs.

She sunk down to her knees and pressed him firmly against her heart, his proximity immediately calming hear fear. "I missed you so, so much, my darling," she cooed as he touched her lips and nose with his small hands, a bright smile on his face.

"You back," he said and snuggled up against her.

She felt the eyes of her in-laws on her and decided to tell them the whole story. It was nearly dark outside and Teddy was fast asleep in her arms when she left their house to apparate home.

She put Teddy in his bed and sang him a lullaby before sitting on her couch with a tumbler of bourbon. She contemplated about the talk with her in-laws, still awed by their effortless understanding of her situation. They immediately understood her need for privacy concerning Hermione and her fear of falling in love with her. Helen told her about Hermione's visit the day before. The young woman had, as expected, made an impeccable first impression and Helen immediately adored her. Hermione had even told them small snippets of what happened to calm them down and paved the way for Andromeda to come clean to them.

Suddenly very aware that the young woman wasn't around a wave of sorrow rushed through her. She downed her glass and closed her eyes to get rid of the ugly feeling before going to bed.

* * *

Early the next morning Andromeda, with Teddy on her hip, knocked on the door of Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

When a still sleepy Harry opened the door his face turned from surprised to serious within seconds. "Hello Andie," he greeted her softly and she walked past him into the house, setting Teddy down into a quickly transfigured playpen.

Harry disappeared into the kitchen and she followed him. Her face fell when Harry announced that Hermione wasn't home yet. He calmly pressed a cup of steaming tea into her hands and they sat down at the long kitchen table.

"Mione told me about Tonks and Narcissa," he said and she just nodded at him, taking a sip from her Earl Grey. "I tried to talk some sense into her but she was furious. The whole situation was putting an intense amount of pressure on her, so I sent her to the Burrow to calm down. Molly's cooking always has had a soothing effect." He shifted nervously in his seat.

Andromeda's heart felt lighter having learned Hermione's whereabouts, but the dread still lingered. "That is exactly what I feared, you know," Andromeda whispered and faced Harry. "That I'd somehow drive her away." Her eyes began to water so she quickly hung her head to hide her face with her curls. She was too ashamed of her tears. "She was never supposed to pick up the pieces of my life." Her voice was thick with tears.

To her relief, Harry squeezed her shoulder and excused himself to go fetch something. After he had left she let the tears fall.

A few minutes past before Teddy whimpered and she swiftly went to pick him up. He seemed troubled by her sadness and tried to make it go away with his small hands and "shushs". She smiled through her sobs at his attempt and pressed him closer. He wrapped his arms around her neck and she soon felt his tears against her collarbone. Her heart clenched painfully at his small sobs.

She tried to soothe him and moved to hold him in front so she could look at him. His eyes, soft brown like Ted's, were still watery and his sobs still hadn't yet died down when she curled up on the couch with him. She put him with his back against her chest and protectively draped an arm over him. When her tears finally ceased so to did his and she was able to breathe again. He soon fell asleep but she wasn't able to shake off the guilty feeling that seemed to crush her. "I'm sorry, darling," she whispered and closed her eyes. "I try to be better. I promise you."

She was still lying on the couch when Hermione stumbled out of the floo. "Andie," she whispered, tears glistening behind her brown lashes. Harry tumbled in behind her. Hermione ran her fingertip along Andromeda's cheek. "I think we should talk."

The young witch closed and warded her bedroom door once they were inside. She gestured for Andromeda to sit down at the small desk that used to belong to Walburga. Andromeda traced the wood with her finger before bracing herself for the conversation. She turned around, leaning against the desk and looked at the rest of the old study. Hermione's bedroom was neat and cosy and she was sad that she saw it for the first time under such circumstances. She finally sat down on the small leather stool in front of the desk and waited for Hermione to speak.

The young witch studied her for a while and then took a deep breath. "I wish you would have told me the truth."

It was a mere whisper but caught Andromeda's attention. She sighed. She felt that Hermione was expecting an apology. An apology she wasn't willing to give just yet. "Can I show you some memories?" she asked softly and approached Hermione to grab her hands.

"Yes, of course. _Legilimens_ ," Hermione whispered and was immediately drawn into a whirlwind of colours.

* * *

 _Hermione stood in Andromeda's bedroom. The woman in the bed woke with a sharp gasp and tears in her eyes. She screamed out in pain and grabbed her wrist. Hermione saw Andromeda, in her twenties and pregnant, climb out of her bed to pace around the room. Her teeth were clenched and her right hand was firmly wrapped around her left wrist._

 _"_ _Come back to bed, sweetheart. You and the baby need to sleep." She heard Ted whisper to his wife._

 _"_ _I can't," Andromeda said. "It hurts so much," she whimpered and Ted was immediately by her side, casting 'lumos' while approaching her. He took her arm in his hands and took a long look at it._

 _"_ _We need to heal that, Dromeda. You can't live like this." She sniffled at his words and took her wrist in her hand again. He left the bedroom to return moments later with a diluted painkilling potion. He helped her drink some, cupped her cheek and led her back to bed._

 _The memory changed and Hermione found herself in a sterile looking room. Andromeda wore healer-robes. Angrily, she threw the book down on the floor and balled her hands into fists. An older woman immediately stepped into the room and picked up the book._

 _The woman gave her a withering look and Andromeda blushed slightly._

 _"_ _I'm sorry," she said after a few unsteady breaths. "I just can't figure out how to heal this. It's frustrating to say the least." Andromeda held out her wrist towards the older woman who gasped at the sight of it._

 _The healer took a piece of parchment out of her robes and scribbled down the name of a book. "I suggest you read that, it should help." She lightly touched Andromeda's shoulder before leaving the room._

 _Hermione was pulled into another memory and recognised Andromeda's kitchen. The young witch was sitting at the table with Tonks in the high chair opposite of her. The toddler was humming while mashing some green herbs in a bowl with her chubby fingers._

 _"_ _Perfect, angel, now give mummy those herbs," Andromeda said with a bright smile and took the small wooden bowl from Tonks even smaller hands. The girl smiled when Andromeda ruffled her hair and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She changed her hair to bright yellow and squeaked loudly._

 _Andromeda carefully stirred the herbs into the potion and watched excitedly as it turned into a beautiful blue. She clapped her hands delighted just as Ted entered the room._

 _"_ _I think I did it this time," she told him and he smiled brightly before kissing her gently._

 _"_ _Want to test it now?" he asked as he scooped an excited Tonks in his arms to greet her._

 _The scenery changed again and Hermione recognised that Andromeda and Ted were still wearing the same clothes but it was dark outside now._

 _She was sitting at the table, the small phial with the blue liquid in front of her. "I'm afraid," she whispered and Ted cupped her cheek and she kissed his wrist._

 _"_ _Nothing is going to happen, Dromeda," he reassured her and grabbed her hand. Carefully, he dropped a few drops on the crooked "B". Andromeda hissed in pain but soon cried happy tears as the gruesome scar finally closed up._

* * *

Hermione saw small glimpses of other memories before Andromeda pushed her out of her mind again. Her heart felt heavy and she studied the older woman.

Andromeda was looking at her young love with a mix of emotions stirring inside of her. She gently stroked her cheek before addressing her. "I was sure the scar would eventually drive me insane. It kept me awake and I wasn't able to focus on my work. Holding Nymphadora was especially painful because she liked to touch 'the funny drawing on mummy's arm'." For a second the painful memory pushed the air out of Andromeda's lungs and she saw Hermione's face fall at the mention of Nymphadora.

She searched Hermione's gaze before continuing. "That potion was my only choice to get better as the book was completely out of my reach. When I saw your scar I wanted to help you. I gave you the potion without a second thought and I cannot apologise for that. I'm, however, sorry that I didn't tell you about the book. You had the right to know." Her voice sounded harder than she had wanted it to. She was relieved when Hermione nodded slightly, accepting the apology.

Andromeda steeled herself for the next part. "Narcissa and Draco have the dagger Bellatrix hurt you with and the knife she cut me with," she said in a much gentler tone.

Hermione looked up at the mention of the knives but again didn't speak.

Andromeda got up from the bed to stand in front of Hermione, her hands on her hips. "If you want to get rid of that scar, I suggest we try to try mine first to find out how the potion has interfered with the Dark Magic," Andromeda continued with a firm voice, hiding her fear.

"No," Hermione spoke finally and vehemently shook her head. "I won't risk your life. I don't care about the scar anymore, Andie." She twisted her fingers in her lap and looked sadly back up at her. "I don't know what's happening to me." Andromeda felt helpless seeing her sad like that. "I feel on the edge all the time and I got so angry with you. Then I freaked out thinking that our work was useless." Her voice was exasperated and her eyes filled with tears as she looked firmly down to the floor.

Andromeda, still frowning at her words, sensed the distress in her voice. She sat down again and carefully draped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to her body. "Don't say your work is useless. The potion can heal dark scars. It has the potential to help so many people," she spoke softly and kissed her cheek. Finally, the young woman looked her in the eyes again.

"You've witnessed me at my breaking point," she said drily and wiped the tears from the younger woman's cheeks. "And I was so occupied with myself that I didn't realise that it became too much for you," she whispered and kissed her, tasting her salty tears on her lips. She stretched herself out on the bed, pulled Hermione's head close to her heart, drew soothing circles on her back and let her cry. "From now on I'll take better care of you," she promised her.

After Hermione had calmed down she sat up and faced Andromeda. "I don't regret stepping into your life at that point. Your suffering hurt me immensely but-"

"-you aren't sure if I would have made it through without you," Andromeda finished for her and gave her a half smile when the younger woman nodded. She had asked herself that question before. "I would have somehow. I always have but you made it bearable."

Hermione wiped the stray tear from her cheek. "I was so afraid for you."

"I'm fine now," Andromeda said with a trembling voice and grabbed Hermione's hands with her cold fingers. "I love you so much."

"You have my heart." Hermione pulled her up into a sitting position and kissed her fiercely. "I'm sorry I ran."

Andromeda kissed her back and breathlessly answered: "I'm sorry I let you run."

"That's over now.," Hermione smiled while Andromeda nodded and smiled against the younger woman's lips. "Let's focus on the present."

Their kisses soon turned passionate and they fell back on the mattress. Andromeda pushed Hermione's top over her head before slipping out of her own.

* * *

They were still entangled in each other's arms when Andromeda's mind wandered to their potion. "Do you still have the phial with the latest recipe?"

Hermione nodded at the question and got up to search through the drawer in the desk.

Andromeda looked at the phial in Hermione's hands. "Let me try it right now. Let's see what it does."

Carefully Hermione added some drops. Andromeda expected a searing pain and was surprised when it didn't come. Both witches watched how the already faded lines faded even more until only small, white lines remained visible.

"See?" Andromeda gasped and hugged Hermione. "It isn't useless. You even improved it."

Hermione held out her wrist and Andromeda gently dropped the liquid on her scar and kissed her forearm once the scar was faded.

"We did it," Hermione said and scooted to Andromeda, resting her head against the older witches shoulder.

* * *

May 2nd, 2001

"Accio painting utensils," she said and watched how Nymphadora's paint buckets and brushes approached her. She gently set them down on the floor.

She sank down to the floor and leant her head against the wooden bars of Teddy's crib. Immediately, his fingers grabbed onto her locks and she stroked his arm. The gesture gave her some much-needed comfort and she silently hoped he'd never grow out of this habit.

She stared at the painting, once again trying to figure out what it all meant with its countless details. Andromeda was awed how her notoriously clumsy and impatient daughter had managed something this meticulous. A landscape with numerous, colourful flowers. The flowers were embedded into a green meadow. Sirius and faint outlines of a waning moon were visible in the darkening firmament. Nymphadora had used her best handwriting to paint one of their favourite song texts in the midst of the sky.

 _"_ _Place a name upon the night  
_ _One to set your heart alight  
_ _And to make the darkness bright  
_ _Paint the sky with stars."_

Andromeda nearly sang the words as she read them. She pondered how much her daughter really knew about their shared heritage. Regret flooded through her. She should have told her everything about her past. She got up and approached the painting, tracing the lyrics with her fingers and pushing her forehead against the cold wall.

"I'm sorry I never told you about the stars, angel," she whispered and closed her eyes before kneeling down in front of the wall. That's how Hermione found her. She smiled at the young woman who was wearing a ragged old shirt over her clothes to shield herself from the colours.

"Shall we begin?" she asked gently and cupped Andromeda's cheeks in her hand. She took the younger woman's hand and kissed her knuckles before letting her help her to her feet.

Hermione was skilled with pencils and brushes and soon the outlines of a small masterpiece graced the gaping hole in the middle of the wall. It was Andromeda's job to fill the sketch with colours. As she was dipping her brush into the pot of vibrant pink a small sob escaped her lips and Hermione's hands were immediately on her shoulders. The young woman also held onto the brush and together they coloured Nymphadora's bright pink mane. Andromeda's hands were shaking too hard to continue and Hermione made her sit down to gather herself.

Andromeda adored how spot on Hermione drew Nymphadora, Ted and Remus and was awed by how carefully she applied the colours to their faces and bodies. With bold letters she wrote ' _Tant qu'il y a de l'amour, il y a de l'espoir_ ' on the wall. Andromeda gasped once the meaning behind the words had reached her and her eyes filled with tears.

Hermione took Teddy out of his cot, placed him Andromeda's lap and sat down next to her, draping an arm around her, kissing her temple softly. The boy settled down in-between them.

" _Je t'aime_ ," Hermione whispered and kissed her wrist.

Andromeda smiled through her tears. " _Au futur_ ," she responded softly and kissed her, squashing a joyfully squealing Teddy between them.

* * *

 **A/N**

Oh, I will miss writing this story. I hope you liked the ending. It has been in my mind ever since starting this.  
Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting this story. It always put(s) a smile on my lips.

Tant qu'il y a de l'amour, il y a de l'espoir = As long as there is love there will be hope  
The songtext within the painting on the wall is from Enya's song 'Paint The Sky With Stars'


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